SKEM4153

ROBOT TECHNOLOGY FOR

AUTOMATION

CHAPTER 5
Automated Work Cells and CIM Systems

Prof. Dr. Shamsudin H.M. Amin

Ir. Dr. Mohd Ridzuan Ahmad
([email protected])
 AUTOMATED WORK CELLS AND CIM SYSTEMS

Objectives:
• Description of 3 steps to implement CIM
• Identification of value-added and non-
value-added manufacturing operations
• Description and evaluation of 6
manufacturing performance measures
• Description of difference between flexible
manufacturing and fixed(hard) automation
• Description of the difference between
flexible manufacturing cells and systems
• Application of the work cell design checklist
to the design of an automated system
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 5.1 Performance Measures:
• Lower Manufacturing
Costs
• Higher Productivity
• Better Production Control
• Better Customer
Responsiveness
• Reduced Inventories
• Greater Flexibility
• Higher Product Quality
• Smaller Lot-Size
Production
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 Some sources of
disappointing performance:

• Isolated automated cell from

production system
• Deficiencies in work cell design
• Insufficient human resource
training

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 5.2 The CIM (Computer-Integrated
Manufacturing) Implementation
Process

Three-step process:
• Assessment
• Simplification
• Implementation

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 Step 1: Assessment of Enterprise
Technology, Human Resources and Systems

Assessment: to have a thorough understanding

Conduct a study of capabilities, strengths,
weaknesses and limitations of:
• Current level of technology and process sophistication
in manufacturing
• Degree of readiness of employees (both in
educational and psychological aspects)
• Functions of workings and operations of production
systems

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 Step 1: Assessment of Enterprise Technology,
Human Resources and Systems, cont.
A survey of 139 CEOs, presidents, and vice-presidents
of companies planning a CIM implementation is
given in Figure 5.1 below:
___________________________________________
Lack of in-house technical expertise 55%
Top management does not grasp benefits 48%
Inadequate planning or lack of vision 45%
Inadequate cost-justification methods 43%
Unavailability of funds 36%
Fear of poor implementation 25%
___________________________________________
Figure 5.1: Obstacles to a CIM Implementation

Note that 55% of the respondents listed lack of in-house technical

expertise as a major obstacle to CIM implementation.
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 Step 1: Assessment of Enterprise Technology,
Human Resources and Systems, cont.
To overcome the limitations, the education and training of employees
have to focus on the following aspects:
• The need to change to remain competitive nationally and globally
• The need to support new order in enterprise operations (teamwork,
total quality, improved productivity, reduced waste, continuous
improvement, common databases, and openness to new ideas)
• The hardware and software necessary for CIM implementation, and
the management strategy required to run the system successfully.

CIM is not hardware and software; CIM is a way to manage the new
technologies for improved market share and profitability. From the
start of the implementation, all members of an organization must
understand how CIM relates to their jobs.

Therefore, assessment and education must be done first.

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 Step 2: Simplification- Elimination of Waste

• Building automated systems without

eliminating operations that produce waste
just automates the waste-production
process.
• Simplification – is a process that removes
waste from every operation or activity
before that operation is implemented in the
CIM solution.

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 Step 2: Simplification- Elimination of Waste, cont.
What is waste and where is it found ?

Waste is every possible operation, move, or process that

does not add value to the final product. Value is added if
the material or part is worth more after the production
process is performed.
E.g. Moving, Waiting in queue, Waiting for process set-
up, Being processed*, Being inspected

*only this activity adds value, the rest are cost-added

(need to pay overhead cost). However, not all wastes
can be removed, but all avoidable cost-added
processes must be eliminated.
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Step 2: Simplification- Elimination of Waste, cont.

Three-Step Rule for Eliminating Waste

_________________________________________________
Reduction Total (%)
______________________________________________
Reduce by 50% 50
Reduce by 50% again 75
Make it 10% of what it originally was 90

A world class company works the three-step rule to arrive at a 90

percent reduction in waste.
_________________________________________________
Figure 5.2 Rules for Elimination of Cost-added Operations

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Step 3: Implementation with Performance Measures

• Focuses on the design and implementation

of a system based on the results of Step 1
and Step 2; however, the performance of the
new system must be compared with past
performance.

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Step 3: Implementation with Performance Measures,
cont.
The key performance measurement parameters are:
• Product cycle time : the actual time from the release of a
manufacturing order to its final completion. This includes the set-up
time, queue time, move and transportation time, run time and lot
size.

Example 5.1: A product with a lot size of 100 parts requires two work
cells to complete the machining operation. Determine the cycle
time in minutes for each part using the following data.
First machine: set-up time is 2.5 hours per 100 parts; queue, move,
and transport time is 0.9 hours per 10 part pallets; and run time is 22
minutes per part.
Second machine: setup time is 1.25 hours per 100 parts; queue,
move, and transport time is 0.7 hours per 10 part pallets; and run
time is 13 minutes for every two parts.
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 Solution to Example 5.1
a) Find time for first machine:
Setup time = 2.5 hours per 100 parts
Queue, move and transport time =[ (0.9h/10 parts) x 100 parts]
= 9 h per 100 parts
Run time = [(22 min / 1 part) x (1 h / 60 min) x 100 parts] = 37 h
Total time = 48.5 h
Cycle time = total production time for lot size / lot size
= (48.5 h / 100) x (60 min / h) = 29.1 min
b) Find time for second machine
Setup time = 1.25 hours per 100 parts
Queue, move and transport time =[ (0.7h/10 parts) x 100 parts]
= 7 h per 100 parts
Run time = [(13 min / 2 parts) x (1 h / 60 min) x 100 parts] = 10.83 h
Total time = 19.08 h
Cycle time = total production time for lot size / lot size
= (19.08 h / 100) x (60 min / h) = 11.45 min
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Step 3: Implementation with Performance Measures,
cont.
The key performance measurement parameters are (cont.):
• Inventory : this is a measure of either material resident time (the time raw
material or parts spend in manufacturing) or product velocity (the number
of inventory turns by product). Inventory costs must be clearly defined if
the savings are to be used as performance measure. Inventory turns are
defined by the following expression:

annual cost of goods sold

Inventory turns =
average annual inventory investment
Example: Cost of goods sold = RM200,000
Average inventory investment = RM50,000
Inventory turns = (200,000 / 50, 000) = 4
(Here, the RM50,000 could have been used for other financial investment that could generate
cash returns. Therefore inventory is a cost for the company. If the inventory turns of the product
can be increased to 10 with the same annual sales, the inventory cost will be only RM20,000 and
the savings of RM30,000 can be invested elsewhere).
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Step 3: Implementation with Performance Measures,
cont.
The key performance measurement parameters are: (cont.)
• Set-up times : this is part of the product cycle time. However,
improvement in set-up is a key factor in being competitive.
Most companies use setup time as a measurement
parameter apart from the cycle time.
• Quality : two areas of interest are the first-time good parts
and reduction of scrap and rework. First-time good parts is a
measure of how often the first part produced in a
production run is within specifications.
The reduction of scrap and rework is a measure of
production quality in two areas: scrap (unuseable
production that must be discarded), and rework (parts that
are out of tolerance but that can be fixed with additional
manufacturing operations)
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Step 3: Implementation with Performance Measures,
cont.
The key performance measurement parameters are:
(cont.)
• Employee output/productivity : this is a measure of
amount of output of goods and services per unit of
input. (Total employee hours worked divided into total
units of output).
• Continuous improvement : this is the most important
activity in CIM. A measurement could be in the form of
the number of improvement suggestions per employee
per week or per month.

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Example of improvement after CIM implementation
Pump manufacturer’s performance report card case history (pump
housings)
Measurement Baseline 12 months 18 months
parameters
Cycle time 18 weeks 6 weeks 1 week
Inventory turns 4 8 48
Scrap(percentag 13% 5% 0.06%
e of lot size)
First time good 45% 85% 93%
parts
Floor space 1200sq ft 500 sq ft 150 sq ft

Figure 5.3 Results of Improved Business Operations

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 Analysis - 1
• Figure 5.3 showed the changes achieved over 18
months by a pump manufacturer with RM75 million
in sales. The remarkable improvements in floor
space are as a result of a shift from job shop (Figure
a) and repetitive production (Figure b)
environments to a structured product flow system
(Figure c).

office Milling Lathe Grinding Heat treatment

Assembly Finishing Drilling Shipping and

receiving

• Figure a: Process flow

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 Figure b: Manufacturing system characteristics
Project Job shop Repetitive Line Continuous

Process speed Varies Slow Moderate Fast Very fast

Labour content High High Medium Low Very low

Labour skill
High High Moderate low Varies
level
Very
Order quantity Low Varies high Very high
small

Unit quantity
Very large Large Moderate Low Very low
cost

Routing
Very high High None Low Very low
variations

Product options Low Low None Very high Very low

Design
Very large large Very small moderate small
component
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 Figure c: product flow layout

Raw materials

Finished products

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 5.3 Making the CIM Process Work
Depending on the conditions present in the company and
the corporate culture, there are various processes used.

Some elements for successful CIM implementations:

• Use of a program name other than CIM
• Support for the program beginning with the CEO
• Use of multifunctional employee teams at all levels in the
process
• A willingness to look at all processes and products for
potential productivity gains
• A willingness to accept recommendations for process
and product improvement from every employee
• A willingness to accept a 3- to 5-year payback time for
the investment
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 5.4 Automated Production

Factory Automation

Flexible Automation Fixed or hard automation

Flexible Flexible
Manufacturing Manufacturing In-line Rotary
Systems Cells

Figure 5.4 : Types of Factory Automation

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 5.4 Automated Production
High continuous

Line
Part or product quantity

repetitive

Job shop
Area suitable for
project Robot applications
Low

Manual Programmable Flexible Fixed Flexible Fixed

machines machines Manufacturing Automation Manufacturing Automation
Cells Machines Systems Systems

Low Production capacity High

High Product variety or flexibility Low

Figure 5.5: Production systems

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 5.5 Work Cell Design Checklist

The work cell check list shows the

manufacturing variables that should be
addressed during the design process.
Depending on the function of the cell and the
type of automation proposed, the variables
most critical to a successful design change.

The data gathered by the checklist element

questions contain sufficient details to make
design decisions.
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 Table 5-1 Work Cell Design Checklist (pp 1/4)

Performance
Requirements
Cycle times
Part-handling specifications Tolerance of parts
Feed rate of tools Dwell time of robots
Product mix Pressure on tools
Equipment requirements Maximum repair time
Human backup requirements Malfunction routines
Future production Allowable downtime
requirements

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 Table 5-1 Work Cell Design Checklist (pp.2/4)

Layout Requirements
Geometry of the facility
Environmental considerations Service availability
Accessibility for maintenance Floor loading
Equipment relocation Safety for machines and people
requirements
Product Characteristics
Part orientation requirements Gripper specifications
Surface characteristics Part size, weight and shape
Unique handling requirements Inspection requirements

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 Table 5-1 Work Cell Design Checklist (pp.3/4)

Equipment
Modifications
Max/min machine speed
Requirements for unattended
operation Requirements for auto
Requirements for increased operations
throughput

Process
Routing variations
Modifications Process data transfer
Lot-size changes
Process variable evaluation

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 Table 5-1 Work Cell Design Checklist (pp.4/4)

System Integration
Data interfaces and networks
Hardware integration Integration requirement
requirements Software integrating
Data integration requirements requirements

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 TEXT AND REFERENCE BOOKS
• Textbook:
1. James A. Rehg: Introduction to Robotics in CIM
Systems. Fifth Edition, Prentice-Hall. 2003.
•
• Reference book:
1. Mikell P. Groover: Automation, Production Systems, and
Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Second Edition.
2004.
2. Mikell P. Groover, Mitchell Weiss, Roger N. Nagel,
Nicholas G. Odrey: Industrial Robotics: Technology,
Programming, and Applications, McGraw-Hill. 1986.
3. Farid M. L. Amirouche: Computer-Aided Design and
Manufacturing. Prentice-Hall.
4. Richard K. Miller, Industrial Robot Handbook. Van
Nostrand Reinhold, N.Y. (1987).
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