Product Family Formation for Reconfigurable Manufacturing using a Bi-criterion Evolutionary Algorithm

Authors

  • Laxmi Narayan Pattanaik Department of Production Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi INDIA 835215
  • Vikas Kumar North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23055/ijietap.2011.18.9.310

Keywords:

Reconfigurable Manufacturing System, Product Family Formation, Commonality Coefficient, NSGA-II

Abstract

 The aim of this paper is to group products into several product families as required during reconfigurable manufacturing considering their operation sequences and demands. A reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) is designed for rapid adjustment of production capacity and functionality in response to new market conditions and new process technology. Products are grouped into families and each of which requires a distinct and optimum system configuration. The system is reconfigured in order to produce another family and so forth. The effectiveness of an RMS hence depends on the formation of the set of product families. Methodology for grouping products into families, considering the requirements of RMSs, is a recent research issue which is addressed in this paper. The two most important characteristics of RMS that enables it to cope with variations in capacity and functionality are considered during product family formation. A bi-criterion evolutionary genetic algorithm is used to identify the Pareto optimal solutions representing the product families for the RMS.

Author Biographies

Laxmi Narayan Pattanaik, Department of Production Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi INDIA 835215

Associate Professor

Department of Production Engineering

Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra

Ranchi, INDIA 835 215

Vikas Kumar, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Graduate Research Assistant

Edward P. Fitts Dept of Industrial & Systems Engineering

Published

2011-12-14

How to Cite

Pattanaik, L. N., & Kumar, V. (2011). Product Family Formation for Reconfigurable Manufacturing using a Bi-criterion Evolutionary Algorithm. International Journal of Industrial Engineering: Theory, Applications and Practice, 18(9). https://doi.org/10.23055/ijietap.2011.18.9.310

Issue

Section

Manufacturing and Control