Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 March 2009
Only hardware and software flexibility combined can yield the overall system flexibility required in newly designed FMSs in which the expected part mix is quite large and continually changing.
The paper shows how modular design and integration are fundamental steps in software design for the management and control of FMSs. The main subsystems of a control system, built up by putting together a number of standardized modules requiring little or no customization, are also described. An experimental control system designed according to these criteria is also presented.