Flexible and reactive integration of manufacturing systems through dynamic resource allocation

Recent efforts in integrating the various subtasks in computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) show major weaknesses with regard to flexibility and reactivity. One reason is that, in current approaches to CIM, the main attention is given to automation and integration. The question of the potential and actual flexibility and reactivity that may be achieved when coupling the underlying subsystems-such as CAD, CAP, MRP, and CAM-in an appropriate manner is only considered in a second step. On the other hand, the goal of achieving a flexible and reactive CIM control system has to be looked at from the beginning when facing the task of making the CIM subsystems work together. The authors discuss an approach where the functionality provided by the different subsystems is exploited to a maximum degree without affecting the subsystems in their data or control structures. Instead, a supplementary layer approach is proposed which covers both the data and the control level integration of a CIM control system