The design and implementation of material and information flow for manufacturing systems

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2000.Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-145).Production systems are characterized by complex interactions between elements, both human and mechanical, with the goal to accomplish certain high-level manufacturing objectives. In order to ensure that the decisions made and the actions taken during the design and implementation of production systems are aligned with all of the objectives, a structured approach must be followed. In developing this structured approach, the axiomatic design methodology is applied, which provides the means for creating a hierarchy of system design objectives (what to do) and solutions (how to do it). From this conceptual design process, a Production System Design and Implementation (PSDI) Path is presented here. The PSDI Path guides the design through a series of steps in creating a successful physical manufacturing system environment in terms of the original high-level objectives. Defining the material and information flow in the system is a critical part of the PSDI path. Based on the steps in the PSDI Path and the design hierarchy, a procedure for constructing the material and information flow in the production system is developed. To aid in the design of material and information flow in the manufacturing system, a manufacturing system modeling environment is developed as the tool for visualizing and communicating the flow in the manufacturing system design. KEYWORDS: Lean Manufacturing, Value Stream Management, Manufacturing System Design, Production System Design, Cellular Manufacturing, Axiomatic Design.by Brandon J. Carrus.S.M