Machine Sharing in Manufacturing Systems : Flexibility versus Chaining

In this paper, we present an alternative configuration for sharing manufacturing resources, such as machines, among multiple part types. This configuration, termed chaining, is shown to capture most of the benefits of full machine flexibility while limiting the number of part types that are processed on any individual machine to only two. This is important in systems where higher machine flexibility is achieved with additional investments and/or higher operating costs. We present analytical models for the performance evaluation of both chained and fully flexible configurations. The two configurations are compared under different control policies, and varying buffer sizes, loading conditions, and number of machines. The effect of setup time on the desirability of the two configurations is also examined.