List of Figures Figure 1 FMS system................................................................................................... 4
Objectives
To understand the concept of how the flexible manufacturing system works.
To carry out a simple demonstration of the Gantry robot in picking and putting the
product To identify the components of flexible manufacturing system.
Introduction 'FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM - FMS' is a method for producing goods that is readily adaptable to changes in the product being manufactured, in which machines are able to manufacture parts and in the ability to handle varying levels of production. A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) gives manufacturing firms an advantage in a quickly changing manufacturing environment. FMS can offer a lot of flexibility and the most common one is the machine flexibility and routing flexibility. Machines flexibility made the system available to be changed to produce new product types, and have the ability to change the order of the operations executed on a part. In addition, routing flexibility allows the system to use multiple machines to perform the same operation on a part and also allow the system to absorb large scale changes, such as in volume, capacity and also capability. FMS is as can be seen from the following figure.
Figure 1 FMS system
Apparatus 1. Flexible Manufacturing System 2. Control Systems - Milling station-to do milling process to the work piece - Turning station-to do turning process to the work piece - Quality Control station - Storage System (AS/RS)-to store the finish product 3. Stepper Motor-to actuate the conveyor 4. Conveyor Belt-to move the work piece to the stations 5. Robot Arm-to move the work piece 6. Timing Belt-connect stepper motor to the conveyor 7. Sensors: - Magnetic sensor-to detect pallet that move along the conveyor - Position sensor-to detect the work piece in the station - Signal sensor-to show whether the work piece is located or not 8. Pallet-to hold the work piece during travel along conveyor
Cim Start Up Procedure
1. Home Robot 2. Confirm home (Ready Position) 3. Run MAIN 4. Open WPLM1000 software (Mill) 5. Open TEST.NC 6. Cycle Start 7. OPEN WPLT3000software(Lathe) 8. Open Test.NC 9. Cycle Start 10. Pull all pallets back to storage rack 11. Make sure Mill feeder has stock 12. Make sure Lathe feeder has stock 13. Push blue switch to turn on conveyor 14. Push red switch for Cycle Stop 15. Push green switch for Cycle Start Milling Operation Procedures 1. Press the push button in the control panel to ON the conveyor of the FMS. 2. The work carrier with the parts will move and until the work carrier is opposite to the milling machine station the stopper will advance to stop the work carrier and the robot will pick the part need processing and place it into the milling machine. 3. After the part is processed a sensor will send signal to the robot to take the part and put it into the storage system. 4. The steps from 1-3 is repeated.
Results
Discussion A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is a manufacturing system in which there is some amount of flexibility that allows the system to react in case of changes, whether predicted or unpredicted. This flexibility is generally considered to fall into two categories, which both contain numerous subcategories. FMS means the capability of producing different parts without major retooling. It is also a measure of how fast the company converts its process (es) from making an old line of products to produce a new product and the ability to change a production schedule, to modify a part, or to handle multiple parts. Advantages
Faster, lower- cost changes from one part to another which will improve capital utilization
Lower direct labor cost, due to the reduction in number of workers
Reduced inventory, due to the planning and programming precision Consistent and better quality, due to the automated control Lower cost/unit of output, due to the greater productivity using the same number of workers
Savings from the indirect labor, from reduced errors, rework, repairs and rejects Despite of the numerous advantages for the flexible manufacturing system however, there are many disadvantages which can be discussed here. Disadvantages
Limited ability to adapt to changes in product or product mix (ex. machines are of limited capacity and the tooling necessary for products, even of the same family, is not always feasible in a given FMS)
Substantial pre-planning activity
Expensive, costing millions of dollars
Technological problems of exact component positioning and precise timing necessary to process a component
Sophisticated manufacturing systems
Requirement of skilled labor
While an FMS has many advantages, it may not always be the most cost effective method of manufacturing due to the high cost of developing the system and obtaining sophisticated machinery. An FMS may be able to make up for this high cost with greater efficiency and less down time. For example, a traditional manufacturing system may need to halt if a key machine breaks down. However, an FMS may be able to adapt and keep production going during repairs. The best application of an FMS is found in the production of small sets of products like those from a mass production. It integrates metal-cutting machining, metal forming, surface treatment, joining-welding, assembly, and inspection.
Conclusion In conclusion, a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is a manufacturing system in which there is some amount of flexibility that allows the system to react in case of changes, whether predicted or unpredicted. It is integrated to produce parts that are adaptable to be changed in the way they are manufactured. In this experiment, we had the opportunity to know how to control the gantry robot manually by using its touch pad panel. We got to know how manufacturing flexible system is working. The movements of part from one station to another have been recognized. We applied the knowledge from computer integrated manufacturing subject on how to construct the ladder logic diagram for the milling process.
References Manufacturing engineering lab iv manual. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flexible_manufacturing_system
