Described in this thesis is a procedure of developing and implementing a computer simulation model for the design analysis of flexible manufacturing systems(FMS's). The FMS simulation model is based on the next-event simulation methodology. A brief summary is also provided about existing research results on FMS design analysis where various analytic techniques as well as simulation approaches have been employed.
The simulation model can handle any FMS which consists of a set of machining centers having an APC and a number of buffers, automatic guided vehicles(AGV's), loading/unloading stations(stockers), and a network of transportation routes. A number of operation rules based on priorities can be provided as input. The simulation program is written in FORTRAN-77 using SIMAN subroutine library.
A case study is compiled for a real FMS consisting of seven machining centers, 20 stockers, and an AGV moving on a straight track. A separate output analysis program has also been developed to produce Gantt Chart and animate graphically the operation of the FMS. The graphic program which takes the simulated output from the main program is written in BASIC and runs on an IBM PC/XT.
