From computer CPU to factory CPU: A synchronization framework for customized production

Customized production is beneficial for addressing heterogeneous customer requirements. However, optimizing production planning, scheduling, and execution (PSE) in such environments is challenged by ubiquitous uncertainties. Traditional methods fall short in providing real-time responses to the multiple uncertainties, leading to inefficiency and delays. Analogous to the job flow within computer systems, this study proposes a computer manufacturing system (CMS) for PSE of customized production. Moreover, a CPU-inspired synchronization (CPUiS) framework is introduced as the decision mechanism of CMS. It includes an order planning method for order-job synchronization, a mid-term scheduling method for synchronization among job queues, and a factory CPU scheduling method for job-machine synchronization. CPUiS isolates demand uncertainties, time uncertainties, material uncertainties, and machine uncertainties into different synchronization stages, ensuring the stability, resilience, and flexibility of the synchronization process. A case study in a 3D printing scenario with 12 types of uncertainties demonstrates the superior performance of CPUiS in terms of cost-efficiency, simultaneity, and punctuality. In terms of real-time performance, CPUiS responds to uncertainties in approximately 0.24 s. This millisecond-level real-time scale enables CPUiS to minimize the risk of deviations between the theoretical model and the actual application.