Adaptive manufacturing scheduling: a flexible and configurable agent-based prototype

Abstract

To improve the decision support tools available to manufacturing engineers operating in less than certain environments, an agent-based manufacturing scheduling system has been developed. In this paper, the application of intelligent agents to manufacturing problems is discussed and a description of the developed system is provided. The proof-of-concept demonstrator was developed using the JADE platform, XML ontology and a message passing system based on the contract-net protocol. The system was designed to be generic, allowing it to be tailored to suit a wide variety of different manufacturing problems. To demonstrate this, the system was used to model an existing manufacturing cell within Rolls-Royce. The system successfully produced schedules of comparable quality to the existing control system, with the added capability to proactively adapt to changing circumstances. Further work includes the development of a statistical analysis tool set to support and further testing to quantify the operational benefits of the agent-based scheduler.

Keywords:

• Agents
• Scheduling
• Decision support
• Simulation

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the contributions made by Kaveh Kamyab and Silvio Macedo from Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine, London in developing the agent-based scheduling software. The lead author would like to thank the EPSRC for support received through the EngD scheme at the University of Warwick under studentship award number 99313684.

Mark J. Cheeseman graduated from the University of Nottingham in 1998 with an MSci degree in Physics. He is currently a principal technologist, working in the Rolls-Royce Strategic Research Centre in the UK. He joined Rolls-Royce in 1999 and went on to complete a part time MSc in Engineering Business Management with the University of Warwick in 2001. He is now studying for an engineering doctorate, also with the University of Warwick, in the field of agent technology. His main focus is on industrial exploitation of agents in a variety of application domains including manufacturing, business modelling, adaptive control and supply chain management. Mark is a member of the Institute of Physics and is a Chartered Physicist.

Peter Swann is a staff technologist in the Rolls-Royce Strategic Research Centre, which he joined in 1993 following graduation from the University of Cambridge. He received his MSc in Machine Learning from Bristol University in 2000. Since 1998 he has worked on applications of various information engineering technologies including fuzzy logic, evolutionary optimisation and—more recently—intelligent agents. Peter is currently a member of the Industrial Advisory Board for the MSc in Natural Computation at the University of Birmingham. He is a member of the Institute of Physics, a Chartered Physicist and a Chartered Scientist.

Graham B. Hesketh is a Chartered Electrical Engineer with a First Class Honours degree in Physics. He spent 18 years with AEA Technology (formerly the UKAEA) at their Harwell Laboratories, initially developing software for image processing in non-destructive testing applications, and subsequently researching neural network techniques for dimensionality reduction, visualisation, condition monitoring and dynamic signature verification. In 1997 he joined Rolls-Royce and is now team leader for Information Engineering in the Strategic Research Centre. His current research interests are based around robust intelligent systems, in particular agent-based solutions, in support of distributed systems for data and knowledge management, modelling and optimisation.

Dr. Stuart Barnes graduated from the University of Birmingham in 1988 with a PhD in Metal Cutting and then spent four years with GKN Technology. In 1992, he joined the Warwick Manufacturing Group within the University of Warwick. Although he has continued to conduct research into conventional and laser machining, his research interests have expanded into other areas of manufacturing such as the use of agent technology. In June 2002, Dr. Barnes became Director of Industrial Programmes for WMG although he remains an active researcher in his field.