Proceedings of Multi-Station, Digitally Controlled Manufacturing Systems Workshop

The workshop attempts to provide a sound basis for increasing understanding of Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) and the entire batch production process. Specifically, this workshop brings together people with expertise in FMS in order to define the systems, to assess the state of the art in design and operation, and to identify research issues that require attention. Panelists respond to each of the major topic papers, which treat hardware components, software components, and the management-economic issues associated with FMS. A later paper discusses the various levels of sophistication of these systems and the state-by-stage implementation of an actual system.