Real-time operation selection in an FMS using simulation - a fuzzy approach

Production management and scheduling problems in flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) are more complicated than those problems in job shops and transfer lines. Due to the flexibility of FMSs, alternative operation is common. When considering the operational problems of FMSs such as scheduling, simulation methodology seems to be useful to address these issues. Real-time scheduling schemes use simulation techniques and dispatching rules to schedule parts in real time. The advantage of this kind of scheduling with respect to analytical approaches is its capability of considering any unexpected events in the simulation model. This paper presents a fuzzy approach to real-time operation selection. This approach uses membership functions to find the share of each objective in final decision rules. Simulation methods are used to show the effectiveness of the approach.