A flexible manufacturing system (FM

A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is a manufacturing system that contains enough flexibility to allow the system to rapidly react to production changes. This flexibility is generally considered to fall into two categories. The first is machine flexibility. This allows the system to be changed to produce new product types and to change the order of operations used on a part. The second is routing flexibility. This consists of the ability to use multiple machines to perform the same operation on a part as well as the system’s ability to absorb large-scale changes, such as in volume, capacity, or capability.Most FMS systems consist of three main systems: a material handling system to optimize the flow of parts, a central control computer that controls material movement, and the working machines (often automated CNC machines or robots).The use of robots in manufacturing industries has many benefits. Each robotic cell is connected with a material handling system, which makes it easy to move parts from one robotic cell to another. At the end of processing, the finished parts are routed to an automatic inspection cell and then removed from the FMS. This process is illustrated in Fig. 12.12.The main advantages of an FMS is its high flexibility in managing manufacturing resources like time and effort to manufacture a new product. The best application of an FMS is found in the batch production of small sets of products.