Intelligent self- and reconfigurable manufacturing system

Abstract

Over the past few years, the market has shifted away from mass production towards mass customization and personalized production. This shift has made it necessary for manufacturing companies to change their manufacturing line more frequently, which can be both expensive and time-consuming. To overcome this challenge, reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS) have been proposed as a solution. However, there are numerous challenges associated with RMS, including a lack of research on physical implementation and automating the system, designing a new layout due to complexity, and time-consuming reprogramming of robots and other machines.

This research addresses the gaps and challenges in the physical implementation and automation of RMS. A physical platform-based RMS has been developed, which can be reconfigured automatically without any human intervention. The system uses a mobile robot to move and reconfigure different platforms, which has led to the concept of a highly flexible RMS being proposed.

Furthermore, this research investigates the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on RMS. The study involves integrating additive manufacturing, advanced robotics, industrial big data, digital twin and simulation, and industrial internet of things (IIoT) into the physically highly flexible RMS to enhance its efficiency and performance. Wireless power transfer (WPT) is also proposed as an Industry 4.0 technology to wirelessly electrify the highly flexible RMS. Additionally, multiple Industry 4.0 technologies are used together to address the issues of layout design and reprogramming of RMS. This includes the proposal of a smart layout design system and a framework for developing an intelligent and self-RMS.