Component grouping for GT applications - a fuzzy clustering approach with validity measure

The variety of the currently available component grouping methodologies and algorithms provide a good theoretical basis for implementing GT principles in cellular manufacturing environments. However, the practical application of the grouping approaches can be further enhanced through extensions to the widely used grouping algorithms and the development of criteria for partitioning components into an 'optimum' number of groups. Extensions to the fuzzy clustering algorithm and a definition of a new validity measure are proposed in this paper. These are aimed at improving the practical applicability of the fuzzy clustering approach for family formation in cellular manufacturing environments. Component partitioning is based upon assessing the compactness of components within a group and overlapping between the component groups. The developed grouping methodology is experimentally demonstrated using an industrial case study and several well known component grouping examples from the published literature

Process capability models for equipment selection

Due to the increased complexity of modern manufacturing facilities and the increased demands for product variability and system flexibility there is a need for coherent formal representation of the basic knowledge domains supporting manufacturing applications such as equipment selection. The paper presents integrated framework for equipment selection based upon describing process capability at generic, machine tool and manufacturing system levels. The decision making process is designed as a sequence of steps for transforming component design information into processing requirements which are mapped into specific physical machines organised as a processing system

Component grouping for cell formation using resource elements

The work reported in this paper recognises that the traditional close association between components and a fixed route utilising a set of machine tools can no longer be relied upon as an appropriate basis for deciding component similarity and partitioning components into families in modern manufacturing applications. A new methodology for describing the capabilities of machine tools and machining facilities using generic capability units termed 'resource elements' is reported. REs are used to capture the processing requirements of components, assessing their similarity and a fuzzy grouping procedure is used for simultaneously grouping components and machine tools for cellular manufacturing applications. The reported results show that the use of resource elements leads to component groups that are more compact with better matching between processing requirements of components and the capabilities of the machine tools selected for their processing compared with the conventional machine-based approach

Process capability modelling for design and selection of processing equipment

Due to the increased complexity of modem manufacturing facilities and the increased demands for product variability and system flexibility there is a need for coherent formal representation of the basic knowledge domains supporting manufacturing applications such as equipment selection. The paper presents an integrated framework for equipment selection based upon describing process capability at generic, machine tool and manufacturing system levels. The decision making process is designed as a sequence of steps for transforming component design information into processing requirements which are mapped into specific physical machines organised as a processing system