Functional Analysis and Synthesis of Modular Manufacturing Systems Using the Holonic Theory: Application to Integrated Robotic Workcells

Abstract

This paper investigates the application of the concept of holons in manufacturing and business organizations. Holons are defined as an identifiable term of a system that has a unique identity, yet is composed of subordinate parts and in turn, is part of a larger whole. The generality and simplicity of Koestler's pioneering ideas for holons and holarchics, triggered rather recently the interest of numerous researchers, who suggested their use for the development of a suitable framework for designing the architecture of next generation manufacturing systems. The holonic analysis approach as a first step to modular building of systems exhibits significant advantages, such as, faster application design, re-usability of components, optimized interface with the providers, and ability of the system to evolve. The holonic synthesis approach as the second step for synthesizing new systems also exhibits attractive advantages, such as, ability to generate applications by using elements from a continuously enriched design template, time and cost savings due to the determined consistencies and interfaces among the components, and ability to add new elements to the template, thus extending the design capabilities. This paper capitalizes on the theory of holons, thus taking full advantage of its generality, and investigates new fields where this theory can be applied effectively. The presented research investigates generic manufacturing and business aspects, such as the modular design of products, manufacturing cells and business process modeling, since it is estimated that the holonic organization can provide valuable innovative concepts and solutions for improving the efficiency of such systems. A real production system with embedded robot systems is examined to reveal the full potential of the proposed approach.