Abstract
Conventional manufacturing system scheduling methods (even when run on superfast computers) cannot be considered appropriate in a real-time controlled CIM environment because of their inability to react quickly and in an ‘intelligent’ way to dynamic changes in the controlled system. The paper gives a brief overview of the scheduling problem in CIM/FMS architectures, demonstrates different methods of scheduling by showing algorithms and results, as well as outlining and demonstrating some new ways of dynamic scheduling. Part 1 gives a summary of the most important design rules enabling the implementation of a truly dynamic FMS operation control strategy, discusses methods such as loading sequence, balancing, capacity planning and others, and concludes by outlining a new, dynamic scheduling concept and scheduling rules.