ABSTRACT A new circular open field layout composed of a vehicle-based material handling system and multiple circular loops is proposed. The suggested layout offers more flexibility for high-mix low-volume production systems compared to other layouts as it maximizes the number of equidistant machines. A novel approach that integrates experimental design with computational modelling and statistical analysis was followed to study the proposed system. Forty experimental scenarios were generated using Face Centred Composite Design (FCCD) to numerically investigate the effect of layout, production quantity, variety and complexity on minimum production cost. To determine the minimum production cost in each experiment, a linear programming (LP) optimization model was formulated with layout dependent machine distance algorithm. The model solves for the optimum location of the machines and machine cell formations that minimizes the production cost. It considers material handling costs, alternative process routing, operations sequence, lot splitting, and machine costs. Furthermore, the cost was modeled using regression analysis to provide a quick estimate without the need to run computational intensive numerical models. Results reveal the effectiveness of the proposed layout with cost savings reaching 35% compared to traditional open field layout when product variety and complexity are increased.

中文翻译：

---

在设计柔性制造系统时采用圆形开放场布局

摘要提出了一种由基于车辆的物料搬运系统和多个圆形环路组成的新型圆形开放场地布局。与其他布局相比，建议的布局为高混合小批量生产系统提供了更大的灵活性，因为它最大限度地增加了等距机器的数量。采用一种将实验设计与计算建模和统计分析相结合的新方法来研究所提出的系统。使用面中心复合设计 (FCCD) 生成了 40 个实验场景，以数值研究布局、生产数量、种类和复杂性对最低生产成本的影响。为了确定每个实验中的最低生产成本，线性规划 (LP) 优化模型与布局相关的机器距离算法被制定。该模型求解机器的最佳位置和机器单元构造，从而最大限度地降低生产成本。它考虑了物料搬运成本、替代工艺路线、操作顺序、批次拆分和机器成本。此外，使用回归分析对成本进行建模，以提供快速估计，而无需运行计算密集型数值模型。结果表明，当产品种类和复杂性增加时，与传统的露天布局相比，所提议布局的成本节省高达 35%。成本是使用回归分析建模的，无需运行计算密集型数值模型即可提供快速估算。结果表明，当产品种类和复杂性增加时，与传统的露天布局相比，所提议布局的成本节省高达 35%。成本是使用回归分析建模的，无需运行计算密集型数值模型即可提供快速估算。结果表明，当产品种类和复杂性增加时，与传统的露天布局相比，所提议布局的成本节省高达 35%。