A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology

Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1990

Computers and Communication networks are the key components of a flexible manufacturing system. The network provides the means of communication and control between machine, equipment, controllers I and computers. The major objectives of the network are resource sharing and communication. This study deals with the design of computer networks for manufacturing and further a model is developed to determine the optimal computer resource allocation in a hierarchical controlled Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) . The model uses closed queuing network theory as a basis for development of the model and further on evaluation of the model. Investigation of traffic flow, server utilization and other performance measures of closed network of queues is done by using CAN-Q (Computer Analysis of Network of Queues) developed by Solberg (19 80) . To model the FMS operation, the data flows are also simulated as a closed queuing network. Accessing a data storage device, reading a block of data and sending it to another device is equivalent to approaching, picking up and transporting a workpiece I I j I from one machine to another. Processing a block of data is much like machining a workpiece. The feedback signal is equivalent to another movement. Therefore a mathematical model of data or information · flow similar to the work flow/material flow in production system is formulated. Also the specific computer program which implements the mathematical model is created. A dynamic programming model then determines the optimal computer resource allocation in the hierarchical controlled FMS.