Simulation of flexible manufacturing systems

Abstract

This work presented the field of applications for Simulation Software for industrial as well as educational purposes, especially in the field of the flexible manufacturing systems. Simulation is one of the most important tools to keep the production growing for finding a place in competition and putting new products on today's saturated market. In order to show that Modelling and Simulation are "a must have" for improving or replacing the existing manufacturing facility or production and keep pace with the modern technology in manufacturing, the field of applications for the simulation was presented.<br />This thesis mainly focuses on the Simulation Software CIROS Automation Suite for Flexible Manufacturing Systems, developed by Festo Didactic.<br />This thesis also presents shortly some of the other software for simulation and modelling.<br />In the last chapter case study an MPS production line was modelled and simulated in CIROS Advanced Mechatronics software and presented that it is also possible to expand the system with multi or micro FMS, where EMCO turning or milling cell as assembly station can be integrated to the system. Further it was explained with case study how to create an MPS500 production line and how to model and simulate it with Festo simulation software CIROS.<br />MPS is a production system, where certain manufacturing stations can be combined to build a flexible manufacturing system. It has a wide range of variations; from very simple tasks on till very complex interconnected manufacturing processes. An overview of all stations, which are possible to use in MPS system and their possibilities to connect and combine with each other in order to build more complex system and their control concept were described and presented.