On 5/9/08, Bryan Bishop <kanzure@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 5/8/08, Xiaofan Chen <xiaofanc@gmail.com> wrote:
> >  You can have the same manufacturing lines, same PLC,
> >  same motor drive, etc, but you write different PLC programs
> >  to have different manufacturing process.
>
> Yes, but what if the manufacturing line is reconfigurable to some
> extent? Suppose, for example, that we give wheels and components to
> the tools, or that two users (Bryan and Xiaofan) opt to make
> installations, and Xiaofan opts to implement his own makeshift arm
> that, more or less, follows most of the standards and specifications?
> How can this be accounted for? Would a total refactoring of all of the
> PLC-programs have to be rewritten? Or could something dynamic be done?
>

Since PLC can be programmable, you can 'dynamicly' change the
program if you want. But you may need to reconfigure the
related I/O modules, sensors, actuators, machines. So
in reality, it is not as simple to implement this kind of system.
FMS (flexibible manufacturing system,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flexible_manufacturing)
and CIMS (Computer-Integrated Manufacturing Systems)
used to be popular terms but it seems to be fading away.

Xiaofan
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