Design Framework of Plc-based Control for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems

Design for reconfigurability becomes an important issue in manufacturing systems research because of the increasing needs of rapid response to the changing customer demands. The control system plays a key role in the reconfiguration of manufacturing systems. It enables the flexibility of the manufacturing system and determines the overall system performance. In particular, with the manufacturing control systems evolving to network-based systems and the Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) as the processing kernel, the design of PLC systems has become an essential concern for the reconfigurability of modern manufacturing systems. This paper outlines a framework for reconfiguration design of PLC-based control systems. It consists of a concurrent design method, which integrates manufacturing and control system design by taking the recent technological progress of controller and communication hardware into account. The design framework is based on axiomatic design theory and involves formal modelling notations, a reusable component library, and a design method capable to support the quick reconfiguration of the control of the required manufacturing processes.