Abstract
This paper deals with problems on the process planning, especially the determination of optimum machine tools, which is considered as the bottle neck in optimization of manufacturing process in the integrated manufacturing system for job shop. An idea of optimum manufacturing pattern (OMP) is newly introduced basing on the concept of multi-levels optimization technique in a large system. An algorithm and the computer program, which is named CAPP, are developed to automatically determine the optimum kinds and numbers of machine tools. Some case studies are carried out for actual machine shops which take place in the form of a large number of small batches. The calculated results by the newly developed system (CAPP) show that about 12 % reduction in manufacturing cost may be obtained, therefore the effectiveness and feasibility of the idea OMP is proved.
