Abstract:

A Manufacturing cell consists of a machine served by a loading and unloading robot and a pallet handling system, which moves a batch of parts into and out of the system. In this study, a stochastic model is developed to analyze performance measures of a cell, which is allowed to operate under multi-states including degraded mode. The model is used to determine state probabilities of the system, which are used to determine reliability and productivity of the cell, as well as the utilization of its components, under various operational conditions, including equipment failures and fault-tolerant states. The model and the results can be useful for design engineers and operational managers to analyze performance of a system at the design or operational stage.
Received on November 29, 2009, revised July 08,2010
References: 21