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Authors
Smale, Daniel; Ratchev, Svetan

Identifier
10.3182/20090603-3-RU-2001.00323

Index Terms
Manufacturing System Engineering; Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (RMS); Computational Science

Abstract
Reconfigurable Assembly Systems (RAS) offer the potential to enable rapid exchange of functional modules to facilitate a change in product. There has however been little investigation into the planning of multiple system reconfigurations. The work proposes a capability-based approach; consisting of a Capability Taxonomy and Capability Model which focuses on multiple system reconfigurations. The Capability Taxonomy is based upon operator-oriented definition, thereby utilising existing knowledge and expertise. It delivers a numerical output for comparison and so can be adapted to suit particular industries without affecting the methodology, giving the potential for the methodology to be integrated as a Design For Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) tool. The Capability Model consists of Capability Identification and Comparison processes: by aggregating the results, capability and compatibility sets can be derived. The work proposed describes the overall approach and it’s key elements and goes on to detail the Capability Taxonomy and Model. An example application is presented and future work outlined.

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