A back propagation network as a decision aid in flexible welding system design

A neural network has been applied to a new classification and coding system, a sub-set of Group Technology. The new code matches welding processing requirements of components with the features of a flexible welding cell. This work forms part of the development of a new method of flexible manufacturing systems design. The emphasis of the paper is coding the inputs and outputs of the network, and the effects of varying network parameters, during training, on the performance of the network