The global economy and technological innovations bring many new issues and twists to manufacturing system in discrete manufacturing industry. Recently released study has identified manufacturing system of shop floor based on real-time information (MSRTI) as one of significant technologies in the near future. The essence of MSRTI is in the integration of the shop floor element: physical integration through the linking of hardware and software systems, logical integration through shared common information and data, and philosophical integration based on a new sense of purpose and direction. An MSRTI theoretically consists of a variety of hardware and software systems and components (e.g., NC machines, MIS), as well as methodologies for their systematic design, development, deployment, aiming at making production capacity capable of being rapidly adjusted to fluctuations in product demand and manufacturing functionality. To deploy an MSRTI, it is necessary to have information systems capable of delivering accurate and pertinent data, information, and knowledge to the proper users (e.g., staff, operators, technicians) at the right time. Shop floor is the basis unit in manufacturing enterprise. To delivery the promises on ordered products, there is an intense pressure on shop floor to eliminate costly uncontrolled information access and management in manufacturing system. In the exploration of more efficient, agile, flexible, automatic and rapid strategies manufacturing, the approaches of automatically driven in manufacturing process based on real-time information, e.g., machine, fixture, cutter, material for use and maintenance, provision for real-time information access and processing, and integration of manufacturing system have evolved into the real-time information integration based on MSRTI. This paper introduces MSRTI by studying its critical problem in support of the real-time information access and processing. For instance, manufacturing system model, shop floor network communication, process planning, information identification and tracking of fixture and materiel in their lifecycle are critical enabling technologies in the realization of MSRTI. The technical issues and challenges involved for deploying these technologies in MSRTI are explained. Finally, a MSRTI in a NC shop floor for practical implementations is presented in a great detail.
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