Analysis of a Loop-flow Type of Automated Manufacturing System : Vibration, Control Engineering, Engineering for Industry

Abstract

This paper deals with an automated manufacturing system which consists of identical machines located along a loop type of conveyor with a loading-unloading station. The system is described by a Markov chain model and the production rate is analytically derived. The relations between the production rate and the arrival rate of parts and the average processing time of the machine are studied by numerical results. Furthermore, the optimal control problem of dispatching parts into the system is formulated as a Markov decision process. Some properties of the optimal control are considered, and the production rate under the optimal control is compared with that under non-control.