Open-Architecture Integration for Agile Manufacturing

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9622588 Cheng This award funds research on open architecture horizontal and vertical system integration for agile manufacturing. A real-time open architecture "plug and play" integration environment for agile manufacturing will be developed. A set of device drivers for mechatronic components such as actuators, force sensors, vision sensors, analog and digital input and output will be developed. A set of system dependent modules for robot manipulators, numerically controlled machines, and automatic assembly systems will also be developed. Controllers and sensors of two commercial industrial robot manipulators and one numerically controlled milling machine will be retrofitted with open architecture using the device drivers and system dependent modules. The robot manipulators and machine will be integrated under the new integration paradigm to form an open architecture automatic manufacturing workcell. This manufacturing workcell will be linked with other information systems such as computer-aided design and the World Wide Web through the network. This manufacturing workcell will be made adaptive so that it can automatically adjust to changing work loads, conditions, and requirements by communication with other information systems. This experimentally tested "plug and play" manufacturing system and integration environment will be transferred for various applications in industries through industrial partners. If successful, this project will provide an improved understanding of fundamental problems underlying real-time open architecture system integration. The new integration environment will be vendor independent, computer platform independent, mechatronic component independent, and manufacturing system independent, and will enable horizontal integration of manufacturing systems across different vendor's product lines. The system should make manufacturing data, such as the status of work in progress and real-time machine performance, readily available throughout organizations. This timely flow of information within and between enterprises through vertical integration is critical to the agility of the manufacturing enterprise. It could significantly reduce manufacturing costs and cycle time, and enable cost-effective production of both large and small lot sizes and customized products.