Self-evolution framework of manufacturing systems based on fractal organization

The turbulent environment of modern times breeds a need to ensure flexibility and responsiveness for manufacturing systems. The conventional manufacturing systems, however, are not suitable for the dynamic environment because of their rigid structure. Thus, it is necessary to establish a novel manufacturing system which is capable of proactively perceiving the environment and of autonomously adapting to the changing environments. The purpose of this paper is to propose a self-evolution framework of manufacturing systems that facilitates continuous and quick adaptation. In a self-evolutionary manufacturing system, each production resource regulates its own goal, responding to the changes in its environment. Moreover, the organizational structure of the production resources is also dynamically transformed into a form suitable to the changed goal and the emerging environment. Especially, the proposed framework adopts fractal organization for its principal control architecture. 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.