Framework for Part Families Associated with Setup Sequence based Similarity in Cellular / Reconfigurable Manufacturing System

Abstract

The configurations of Reconfigurable Manufacturing System (RMS) evolved around market requirements and corresponding manufacture capabilities, exploiting all available resources. Similar products / parts families are grouped together and require a specific manufacturing configuration in term of setups and respective tool changes in RMS. The recognition of minimum number of setup changes in multi parts production and its application for part family formation is an important step in RMS. In the present work, a novel method has been developed for recognition of minimum number of part setups with tool change options for calculation of similarity relation of parts, keeping in view the precedence constraints, machining constraints and good manufacturing practices. By Pass Moves and Idle Machines in Setup Sequencing (BMIMS) similarity coefficient based on setup sequence of parts has been developed. BMIMS is based on Longest Common Subsequence (LCS) for setup sequences. The developed coefficient of similarity was compared for analysis with the existing similarity/distance coefficients, already available in literature. The Average Linkage Clustering (ALC) algorithm has been applied for classification of example parts using this similarity coefficient. The developed methodology is useful for RMS as well as in Cellular Manufacturing System (CMS).