Papers by Author: Shu Ge Li

Abstract: Cell formation is one of the key issues in cellular manufacturing research. A two-stage cell formation method is proposed. With this approach, parts are first clustered into different groups based on similarity factor; then, machines are assigned to these part groups according to the principle of maximum machine utility. Examples show that the proposed method is feasible in grouping parts and machines into cells so that machine utilization and manufacturing systems efficiency are improved.

Abstract: Cell formation which involves grouping similar parts into part families and the corresponding machines into machine cells is one of the key research issues for designing cellular manufacturing system. Functionally identical machines may vary in production performance. In the paper, processing cost is employed to differentiate the performance of machines, and a two-stage cell formation approach for manufacturing systems with multiple functionally identical machines is proposed. With this approach, parts are firstly clustered into part groups based on process similarity; secondly, machines are then assigned to part groups according to their performance to form manufacturing cells. A heuristic algorithm based on process similarity is presented for part group identification, and a mathematical model with the objective of minimizing the total processing cost is established. An example is employed to illustrate the benefit of the proposed approach and the results suggest that the proposed approach is feasible.

Abstract: Cell formation, which involves grouping similar parts into part families and the corresponding machines into machine cells, is one of the key research issues for designing cellular manufacturing system. In this paper, a mathematical model which targets at maximizing the machine utilization and similarity of the part groups is built. A heuristic algorithm based on clustering analysis is proposed. An example is employed to illustrate the benefit of the approach and the results suggest that the proposed approach is feasible.