A capstone experience-development of a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) using smart distributed sensing system

This paper outlines a project involving the development of an FMS in the Manufacturing Engineering Technology Department at the Rochester Institute of Technology (USA). This project is currently in progress and is expected to be completed by May 1998. The most interesting aspect of this project is that it is being done as part of an undergraduate capstone course called process design and a graduate course on FMS. The cell will be implemented using smart distributed system (SDS) from Honeywell Micro Switch. In this system, the various sensors and actuators communicate with the central control computer using field bus technology. This is state-of-the-art technology in computer based data acquisition and control. The hardware and software aspects of the FMS are being developed by a group of fifteen undergraduate students and one graduate student, under the guidance of the author and technical experts from Honeywell Micro Switch. The FMS will consist of two identical milling centers and robots. The parts will be transferred to the various stations on a pallet using a conveyor system. An in-depth coverage of the system architecture and control are provided in the paper.