On the Dynamics of Manufacturing Systems A State Space Perspective

Manufacturing systems are considered to be dynamical systems in terms of Dynamical Systems Theory. A dynamical model of a flow line is introduced and analysed by using its state space. The work systems of the flow line are compared to a pendulum oscillator, which are driven by the part input and damped by their processing capacity. Depending on the ratio between part input and capacity, the underloaded system corresponds to a damped pendulum, whereas the overloaded system behaves like a driven pendulum. The balanced manufacturing system corresponds to an ideal pendulum, where driving and damping forces are equal and the dynamics are generally periodic. Finally, a relation between system dynamics and system performance is presented by using the system variable ‘work-in-process’.