Flexible Manufacturing Layout

The flexible manufacturing layout has characteristics that allow it to be re-configured to adjust the manufacturing process in order to manufacture different products on the same production lines. This re-configuration may be by design or it may be due to manufacturing changes that were not anticipated. Either way the flexible manufacturing layout is able to fulfill the needs of the manufacturer with changes in its configuration.

There are two different types of flexibility that can be used to fill these needs, machine flexibility and routing flexibility. These re-configurations can be used individually or they can be used together to achieve the desired manufacturing result. The flexibility of machines to be used to produce different products includes their ability to have different end-effectors attached to robotics so that different parts can be made. This re-configuration can also include having a new set of instructions loaded into the controller that controls the robotic equipment. The flexible manufacturing layout will give the equipment the capability of manufacturing different parts that the production line did not produce in a previous job.

Examples of flexible manufacturing systems include modify existing programming to make parts of different sizes, styles, and proportions, producing parts in different production sequences,
increasing or decreasing production throughput, and re-arranging equipment to increase production.

The flexible manufacturing system is no longer considered to be two CNC machines that work together. Now the flexible manufacturing system can have several robotic devices that are tended by other automated devices. All these work in concert to manufacture a family of parts or products. The robotic devices are usually controlled and coordinated by a cell controller. The other functions of the cell controller are to perform load balancing, do part scheduling, and coordinate the flow of materials.

There can be robotic tending devices that work with the cell robotics as well. These tenders are instructed to change the end-effectors of robots that are working on the production line. The instructions come from the cell controller and are coordinating with the requirements of the production line. The best type of facility that a flexible manufacturing layout could replace is an existing non-flexible system would where products are produced in batches and it is possible to group products or parts into families. Families have very similar shapes, sizes, etc.

If a manufacturer desires to implement a flexible manufacturing layout in its factory, considerable planning and design should be done so that maximum benefit can be derived from the completed operation. A flexible manufacturing layout could be created where two production lines are laid out in parallel. Each of these lines produces a family of products that are similar, but not the same. This flexible manufacturing system was created so that machines from production line 1 could be utilized in certain production jobs on production line 2 and vice versa.

The benefits of this arrangement are obvious. Machines with dual capabilities on two different lines creates the ability to produce many different types of products without the extra expense of other equipment and the increased manpower in production. If the lines are parallel it is easy to have a machine from line 1 to be included in a production job on line 2. The only changes that need to be made to include this machine on a different line is to load the correct program into the controller for the device and position the machine correctly. This gives the business savings in capital costs and increases production capabilities.

The three main components of the flexible manufacturing system are the robotic machines that work on the production line, the cell controllers that pass instruction to this equipment during production, and the auxiliary devices, such as the tenders, that clean areas, load tools, and do other support activities. The goals of the flexible manufacturing system are to reduce overall manufacturing cost by lowering direct labor cost and minimizing scrap, re-work, and raw material waste. These systems require less skilled labor, though there need to be trained employees to support the operation of the system. Flexible manufacturing can cut the amount of work in process by cutting the need for batch processing. There is a reduction in the lead time needed to manufacture products, so that the manufacturer can respond more quickly to demands of the marketplace. Consistent quality is created by better process control.

It is true that the flexible manufacturing cuts the number of employees that are needed for production. Quicker equipment changeover between production jobs will have a direct bearing on the improvement of capital utilization. This will also reduce costs per production job due to the decrease in man hours needed for st up of equipment. Automated control of the manufacturing process yields consistent and higher quality output. Less man hours are needed for overall production which reduces the cost of products. There is significant savings from the reduced indirect labor cost, errors in production, repairs, and product rejects.