Authors:
Enrico Naidoo
;
Jared Padayachee
and
Glen Bright
Affiliation:
University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Keyword(s):
Mass Customisation, Reconfigurable Fixtures, Group Technology, Optimisation Model, Mixed Integer Linear Programming.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Artificial Intelligence
;
Formal Methods
;
Industrial Engineering
;
Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics
;
Intelligent Control Systems and Optimization
;
Optimization Algorithms
;
Planning and Scheduling
;
Production Planning, Scheduling and Control
;
Simulation and Modeling
;
Symbolic Systems
;
Systems Modeling and Simulation
Abstract:
A focal point of mass customisation production systems (a significant aspect of the fourth industrial revolution) is the implementation of reconfigurable jigs and fixtures. Traditional methods for the treatment of conventional fixtures are inadequate for those of the reconfigurable type. This paper describes the implementation of an on-demand fixture manufacturing cell that would reside in a mass customisation production system. The focus, in particular, is on the behaviour and optimisation of this cell in relation to the production system. To achieve this, a multi-stage optimisation procedure was developed that involves cluster analysis and a mixed inter linear programming (MILP) model to minimise total idle time (and thus makespan) in the system.