A modular re-configurable approach to the creation of flexible manufacturing cells for educational purposes

This paper describes a project designing modular software which greatly assists the creation of FMS for educational purposes. A three level hierarchical control system was specified: at the highest level, or system control level, is the host computer; at the intermediate or supervisory control level, are the cell controllers; at the third level, device drivers provide an interface and control for each element i.e. machines such as lathes, milling machines, robots, storage systems, transport systems, measuring systems etc. The final report was assessed as a highly significant contribution to the field for technological merit. The paper outlines the development of the system and discusses the facilities available and how these may be combined to move towards an integrated system. Specifically an indication is given of the particular needs of educational establishments