Toward the Next Generation of Manufacturing Systems.

FRABIHO: A Synthesis Model for Distributed Manufacturing

Mariano Marcos (University of CAdiz)

introduction

The Next Generation of Manufacturing Systems (NGMS) is being built on the basis of the concepts associated to last generation of enterprise models.

These models give rise to the so-called Agile Company, Extended Company and Virtual Company, all them included in a more wide concept which has grown with the Global Company conception. Currently, NGMS contains different distributed manufacturing system models proposed.

Some of the most relevant NGMS models have been configured under considerations based on the possibility to establish similitude between a manufacturing system and either social, or biological or fractal systems.

In this paper, a synthesis model containing FRActal, BIological  and HOlonic (social) considerations has been proposed in order to make good use of the most relevant properties of the previously proposed protomodels.

a)       Complexity and variety of product life-cycle. b)       Decrease of product life-cycle.

c)       Increase of capacities and complex technology requirements. d)       Time to market strategies.

e)       Clean manufacturing and green product. f)        Product flexibility. g)       Short-time independent enterprises consortia and/or alliances.

h)       More relevance of the organisation design in manufacturing systems.

New Company Models

• Agile Company Model

• Extended Company Model

• Virtual Company Model

Distributed Manufacturing Systems Models

• Holonic Manufacturing Systems (SOCIAL MODEL)

• Bionic Manufacturing Systems (BIOLOGICAL MODEL)

• Fractal Manufacturing Systems (FRACTAL MODEL)

FRABIHO

 

• The proposed model tries to incorporate the main advantages of the FMS, BMS and HMS models.

• This protomodel has been named FRABIHO as an acronym of FRActal, BIonic and HOlonic.

• This model tries to be an ontology of both static and dynamic complexity of the natural objects. Therefore, it must include the variety associated to those domains.

FRABIHO: Analogies

FRABIHO							HMS	FMS	BMS
Complexity®  Analogy¯	Functional	Structural	Form	Process	...	Means
Unconsciousness	-	X	X	X		X
Inspiration	X	X	X	X		X	X	X	X
Transposition	X	X	X	X		X		X	X
Imitation	X	X	X	X		X		X	X

Items for FRABIHO Protomodel:

 

a)   FRABIHO. Holonic model, which contains fractal and holonic varieties. Analogical inspiration at functional levels is articulated by means of holonic procedures. On the other hand, analogical dimension of transposition and imitation of concepts of fractal geometry in the design articulates the fractal behaviour of the model.
b)  FRABIHO. Holonic model, which contains bionic and holonic varieties. In this protomodel, the general tasks of design are made under holonic inspiration. On the other
hand, fine or detailed design is achieved under the imitation and transposition of the reference objects pertaining to biologic domain to the manufacturing domain.
c)   FRABIHO. Holonic model, which contains fractal, bionic and holonic varieties. It is a synthesis model of the protomodels above described.
d)  FRABIHO. Fractal model, which only contains fractal variety.
e)   FRABIHO. Bionic model, which only contains bionic variety.

 

FRABIHO's elements specification (NBF)

 

 

FRABIHO (Articulation)

 

 

a)  Intelligent builders capture all the variety of a manufacturing system when this is considered as a holon. The varieties are captured in all the specification levels.

 

b) According to the holon definition, the manufacturing system can be taken as either whole or part. Thereby, when manufacturing system is considered as whole, it is available the definition of the internal holarchy and its integration.

 

c)  On the other hand, when the manufacturing system is taken as a part it is available the integration with all the external holarchies.

 

d) The holonic manufacturing system can be considered as a duality product-process. On this basis, intelligent navigators can move through the general holarchy defined in the preliminary design process.

 

e) Additionally, intelligent builders can make the detail design and the re-definition of each one of the single or intermediate holons.

 

f)  Finally, the modelling process and the specification of the elements of the holonic system can only be completely achieved by using adequately a modelling language and a correct methodology.

CONCLUSIONS

a)  New enterprises necessities have given rise to research on modelling new manufacturing systems, which can give a response to the requirements formulated by such enterprises.
b) The manufacturing systems so emerged are placed into the so-called Next Generation of Manufacturing Systems (NGMS). Most of these models respond to conceptions of Distributed Manufacturing Systems (DMS).
c)  Some of the most relevant DMS models have been configured under considerations based on the possibility to establish similitude between a manufacturing system and either social (Holonic Manufacturing Systems, HMS), or biologic (Bionic Manufacturing Systems, BMS) or fractal (Fractal Manufacturing Systems, FMS) environments.
d) However, usually, these protomodels are applied individually without take into account the advantages provided by the rest of them.
e) In this paper, a synthesis DMS model based on FRActal, BIological and HOlonic attributes has been designed. This protomodel has been called FRABIHO and it contains the most relevant properties of the previously proposed protomodels.
f)  FRABIHO has been articulated on the basis of a set of premises, which give to it, attributes holonic, fractal and bionic from autonomous and collaborative cells that are governed by a hierarchy named holarchy.