SUMMARY
In this work we describe the design of a tool management system of a flexible manufacturing facility operating in the avionics components industry, The design included several modifications to the existing system. While previously the tool handling devices were used only to perform machine setup, the modifications allowed the tools to be shared among machines. This allowed a full exploitation of the flexibility of the system. In the work we thoroughly report on the procedures implemented for the determination of tools to be duplicated, for part routeing and scheduling, and for tool movements synchronization.
Notes
∗To whom correspodence should be addressed.