Reconfigurable Machine Tools and Equipment

Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (RMS) are characterized by their quick adaptation to un-scheduled and un-predictable changes in production requirements. Trends, like the reduction of product life cycles, high products diversity at small lot sizes, as well as the fast development and implementation of new production technologies, call for new approaches in the design of flexible and life cycle overlappingmachine tools. The flexibility of RMS comprises changes in machining technology, production capacity, machine structure and function as well as in work piece spectrum and material property. The presented design of RMS is based on a construction kit principle, which enables it to adjust to new production requirements by substitution, addition or removal of machine systems. A new trend in the area of RMS is the complete machining of work pieces by using different machining technologies in one machine workspace (Abele, Wörn, 2004). This paper describes a method that considers the constructive particularities of the Reconfigurable Multitechnology Machine tool (RMM) taking flexibility aspects into consideration.