Operational Classification and Method for Reconfiguration & Recommissioning of Changeable Manufacturing Systems on System Level

During the last decade, consumers have become accustomed to having access to a high variety of products and the expectation of frequent new product releases. Mass customization and changeable manufacturing systems are recognized as enablers. In particular, changeable manufacturing systems can quickly adapt to new market trends due to their ability to alter the manufacturing system according to the market demands. However, the ability to change also introduces unstructured and time-consuming reconfigurations and commissioning phases. This paper proposes an operational method to support reconfiguration and recommissioning in changeable manufacturing systems on a system level. The method is based on classification of elementary reconfiguration abilities and reconfiguration complexity. The proposed approach provides actions related to reconfiguration of hardware and software as well as actions related to commissioning tasks. In addition, the method also supports actions related to virtual commissioning.