Reliability analysis of reconfigurable manufacturing system structures using computer simulation methods

Choosing the right production structure (configuration) is one of the most important steps in the process of designing a reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS). Whether or not a production process to be executed is capable of achieving the assumed performance parameters depends, among others, on the reliability of the machines and technological devices that make up the system under design. Because the individual components of a manufacturing system have different levels of reliability, the reliability of the system as a whole depends to a large extent on the way in which they are configured. This article discusses the process of selecting the structure of a manufacturing system with changing machine reliability, which allows to accommodate these changes to maintain the stability of the production process. The focus of the study was a manufacturing system under design dedicated to the machining of body parts. The experiments were carried out using analytical methods and computer simulation methods. Simulations were performed using Enterprise Dynamics software.