Modelling Techniques in Integrated Operations and Information Systems in Manufacturing Systems

Abstract

State-of-the-art production facilities require a wide variety of intelligent devices and automated processing equipment to be integrated and linked together through a manufacturing network in order to achieve the desired, cost effective, co-ordinated functionality. Devices within a manufacturing system may include: programmable logic controllers (PLCs), direct numerically controlled (DNC) machines, sensors, robots, vision systems, co-ordinate measurement machines (CMMs), personal computers (PCs), and mainframe computers, supplied by different vendors, using different operating systems, with different communication needs and interfaces. The successful integration of existing equipment using existing communication protocols and networks is crucial to achieve the functionality required for computer integrated manufacturing (i.e., CIM) systems. As a result, the performance of communication networks has become a key factor for successful implementation of integrated manufacturing systems, particularly, for time-critical applications. Hence, the analysis, design and performance evaluation of manufacturing systems can no longer ignore the performance of the communication environment.