Design and simulation of a flexible manufacturing system for manufacturing operations of railcar subassemblies

The application of the elements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) through the development of a Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) for manufacturing operations in the railcar industry will promote flexibility, intelligent coordination of the manufacturing operations, efficient handling and quality control. Some production systems in the railcar industry are non-responsive to changes in real time thereby leading to reduction in productivity, hence, the need for a FMS that will cater for the dynamics of manufacturing operation. This work proposes a FMS, which encompasses the assembly line, lean production, logistics and quality assurance. The system comprises of the Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) for components identification and process control, arrays of sensors and cameras, automated material storage and supply, standard interfaces such as the interface for the internet of things (IoT), the robotic welding system as well as a robust intelligent control system. A framework for the implementation of the FMS was developed while the simulation of the designed system was performed using the Anylogic 8.2.3. software. Based on the results obtained, there was an inverse relationship between the operating cycle time of the conveyor and the conveyor speed per cycle when the conveyor’s performance was simulated at a speed of 3 m/s and 7 m/s. The results showed that the system can suitably perform the sequence of assembly and quality assurance operations during the manufacturing of railcar subassemblies with minimal interruptions and human intervention. This will promote production of component parts with high structural and dimensional integrity with significant reduction in the manufacturing cycle time and cost.