Analyzing manufacturing processes to determine the placement of diagnostic systems

A method is presented for effectively placing diagnostic systems. The method has two components, the strategic planning component, consisting of a set of rules that analyze a given manufacturing process and identify where to install diagnostic systems, and tactical planning, composed of a set guidelines for evaluating the recommendations made by the strategic planning component. The focus is on strategic planning. Strategic planning rules are organized into four categories: the cost of performing a manufacturing step, the value of the partially completed product, the reliability of the equipment, and the characteristics of the process flow. The objectives of this research are to define a unique classification for diagnostic systems, update well-known heuristics for placing diagnostic systems based on the new classification scheme, and describe a computer implementation of the strategy using Prolog. The program automatically analyzes a manufacturing process and determines the proper placement of diagnostic systems. A case study of the printing industry is used to explain the methodology, the computer implementation, and the applicability of this method