Simulation Environment for Manufacturing Cell to Support Full Production Performance at Product Launch
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Proc. EUROSIM 2007 (B. Zupančič, R. Karba, S. Blažič) 9-13 Sept. 2007, Ljubljana, Slovenia SIMULATION ENVIRONMENT FOR MANUFACTURING CELL TO SUPPORT FULL PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE AT PRODUCT LAUNCH Hironori Hibino Technical Research Institute of JSPMI (Japan Society for the Promotion of Machine Industry), 1-1-12 Hachiman-cho, Higashikurume-city, Tokyo, Japan, 203-0042 [email protected] Abstract It is now important to reduce lead-time from the manufacturing system design stage to the manufactur- ing system implementation stage and support full production performance at the product launch, be- cause manufacturing industries face various problems such as shorter product life cycle. Before a manu- facturing system is implemented, it is difficult to complete all the facility control programs for several pieces of equipment used in the manufacturing system currently. Before the real manufacturing system runs, methods to confirm implementation of production management applications, which need to evalu- ate and improve manufacturing systems at the product launch such as a facility behaviours record application, have not been developed. These difficulties stopped precise and rapid support of a manu- facturing engineering process. In order to solve these difficulties, it is necessary to develop a method to mix and synchronize real equipment, virtual factory models on the computers, and production management applications. In our research, in order to reduce the lead-time from the design stage to the implementation stage, a manufacturing engineering environment (MEE) is proposed. MEE consists of a manufacturing cell simu- lation environment (MCSE) and a distributed simulation environment (DSE). MCSE, which is used to create and evaluate facility control programs while mixing and synchronizing real equipment, virtual factory models, and production management applications before manufacturing systems are imple- mented, is emphatically proposed in detail. MCSE consists of a manufacturing cell simulator, a soft- wiring system, and ORiN. The manufacturing cell simulator simulates facility behaviours by using data from the soft-wiring system. The soft-wiring system connects real world data, simulation world data on the manufacturing cell simulator, and data on manufacturing management applications without hard- wiring. The soft-wiring system also connects manufacturing cell and production management applica- tions. ORiN is a standard distributed network system for manufacturing systems. Finally the case was carried out to evaluate MCSE. Keywords: Manufacturing cell, simulation, PLC, robot, production launch. Author’s biography Dr. Eng. HIRONORI HIBINO is a Senior Researcher of the Technical Re- search Institute of Japan Society for the Promotion of Machine Industry (JSPMI), which is an affiliate of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in Japan. He is a guest professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology concur- rently. His research fields are distributed simulation, manufacturing system design using simulation, manufacturing cell simulation for combinations of real world and simulation world. He is an academic member of JSME, JIMA, and JSPE. He is also a director of the Scheduling Society of Japan. ISBN 978-3-901608-32-2 1 Copyright © 2007 EUROSIM / SLOSIM Proc. EUROSIM 2007 (B. Zupančič, R. Karba, S. Blažič) 9-13 Sept. 2007, Ljubljana, Slovenia 1 Introduction simulator simulates facility behavior by using data from the soft-wiring system. The soft-wiring system connects Recently, manufacturing industries face various prob- real world data, simulation world data on the lems such as shorter product life cycle, more diversified [1] manufacturing cell simulator, and data on manufacturing customer needs . It is now important to reduce the lead- management applications without hard-wiring. The soft- time from the manufacturing system design stage to the wiring system also connects manufacturing cell and manufacturing system implementation stage. A manu- production management applications. ORiN is a standard facturing system simulator plays an important role in distributed network system for manufacturing systems. designing and evaluating manufacturing systems by Finally, evaluation of the performance of cooperative using a virtual factory model at the manufacturing sys- work is shown. tem design stage[2][3][4]. At the manufacturing system implementation stage, it is important to make and evalu- ate facility control programs for a manufacturing cell, 2. Manufacturing Engineering Environment such as ladder programs for programmable logical con- A manufacturing system is defined as a CIM refer- [8] trollers (PLCs) rapidly[5]. ence model in ISO standards . The manufacturing sys- tem is classified into six layers in the model. Figure 1 Ordinarily the facility control programs not only illustrates the typical system structure. In general, the control a single piece of equipment such as a robot and sequence controller means a PLC, and the motion con- a sensor, but often control several pieces of equipment (6] troller means a robot controller or a single axis controller. simultaneously . Therefore contents of the programs And simulation is mainly used at the design stage of are usually complicated. It is thus very important to each layer. evaluate the programs before executing the programs The manufacturing engineering procedure is usually using real equipment. Concerning the facility control based on the waterfall model. Although the original pur- programs for a single piece of equipment such as parts pose of the waterfall model is to reduce the waste of of a robot program and a NC program, it is now possible [7] loop-back and re-doing, still there are many loop-backs to evaluate the programs on computers . for each manufacturing engineering process. Without However, before a manufacturing system is reducing these loop-backs, shortening manufacturing implemented, it is difficult to complete all the facility system development time is difficult. The development control programs for several pieces of equipment used stage is composed of the design stage and the imple- in the manufacturing system. Although it is essential mentation stage, and its development time is defined by for completing the facility control programs to get real data from the real equipment with precise timing, it is the following equation. not possible to get the data before the manufacturing Development time = Loop frequency × Average loop system is implemented. Before real manufacturing time system runs, methods to confirm implementation of Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the loop production management applications, which need to frequency or to shorten the loop time for development evaluate and improve manufacturing systems at the time reduction. product launch such as a facility behavior record To reduce the loop frequency, the upper-layered application, have not been developed. These difficulties design process should be highly precise. Current stopped precise and rapid support of a manufacturing simulators on the market such as a manufacturing line engineering process. Consequently the lead-time to get simulator are designed for special purposes. In order to full production performance at the product launch is design and implement the manufacturing system, many- not reduced. To solve these difficulties, it is necessary faceted evaluation is required. To realize this, it is to develop a method to mix and synchronize real necessary to collaborate with several simulators, or to equipment, virtual factory models on the computers, and collaborate with the simulators and real equipment. The production management applications. collaborations lead to the wide-use of the simulator at In our research, in order to reduce the lead-time from the implementation stage that was difficult so far. the design stage to the implementation stage, a Consequently, the average of loop time also can be manufacturing engineering environment (MEE) is reduced because of quick loop-backs in the simulation. proposed. MEE consists of a manufacturing cell However the simulators on the market are not considered simulation environment (MCSE) and a distributed the above usages. simulation environment (DSE), where ‘environment’ Therefore we propose a manufacturing engineering means a tool-set like an integrated development environment (MEE) to connect the design stage and environment (IDE). MCSE, which is used to create and the implementation stage. MEE consists of two sub- evaluate facility control programs while mixing and environments. One sub-environment is a manufacturing synchronizing real equipment, virtual factory models, cell simulation environment (MCSE). The main role of and production management applications before MCSE is to make and evaluate facility control programs manufacturing systems are implemented, is emphatically for a manufacturing cell while mixing and synchronizing proposed in detail. real equipment, virtual factory models, and production MCSE consists of a manufacturing cell simulator, a management applications. soft-wiring system, and ORiN. The manufacturing cell ISBN 978-3-901608-32-2 2 Copyright © 2007 EUROSIM / SLOSIM Proc. EUROSIM 2007 (B. Zupančič, R. Karba, S. Blažič) 9-13 Sept. 2007, Ljubljana, Slovenia Another sub-environment is a distributed simulation emulators of real controller, the following functions are environment (DSE). The main role of DSE is to connect necessary. MCSE and manufacturing system simulators at the 1. A simulation function