To date, reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMSs) are among the most effective manufacturing styles that can offer manufacturers an alternative way of facing up to the challenges of continual changes in production requirements within the global, competitive and dynamic manufacturing environments. However, availability of optimal process plans that are suitable for reconfigurable manufacturing is one of the key enablers - yet to be fully unlocked - for realizing the full benefits of true RMSs. To unlock the process planning key and advance the state of art of reconfigurable manufacturing in the manufacturing industry, a number of questions need to be answered: (i) what decision making models and (ii) what computational techniques, can be applied to provide optimal manufacturing process planning solutions that are suitable for logical reconfiguration in manufacturing systems? To answer these questions, you must understand how to model reconfigurable manufacturing activities in an optimization perspective. You must also understand how to develop and select appropriate optimization techniques for solving process planning problems in manufacturing systems. To this end, Process Planning Optimization in Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems covers: the design and operation of RMSs, optimal process planning modelling for reconfigurable manufacturing and the design and implementation of heuristic algorithm design techniques. The author explores how to: model optimization problems, select suitable optimization techniques, develop optimization algorithms, comparatively analyze the performance of candidate metaheuristics and how to investigate the effects of optimal process planning solutions on operating levels in manufacturing systems. This book delineates five alternative heuristic algorithm design techniques based on simulated annealing, genetic algorithms and the boltzmann machine that are tasked to solve manufacturing process planning optimization problems in RMSs. After reading this book, you will understand: how a reconfigurable manufacturing system works, the different types of manufacturing optimization problems associated with reconfigurable manufacturing, as well as the conventional and intelligent techniques that are suitable for solving process planning optimization problems. You will also be able to develop and implement effective optimization procedures and algorithms for a wide spectrum of optimization problems in design and reconfigurable manufacturing."

This book is a new contribution aiming to give some last research findings in the field of optimization and computing. This work is in the same field target than our two previous books published: “Recent Developments in Metaheuristics” and “Metaheuristics for Production Systems”, books in Springer Series in Operations Research/Computer Science Interfaces. The challenge with this work is to gather the main contribution in three fields, optimization technique for production decision, general development for optimization and computing method and wider spread applications. The number of researches dealing with decision maker tool and optimization method grows very quickly these last years and in a large number of fields. We may be able to read nice and worthy works from research developed in chemical, mechanical, computing, automotive and many other fields.

This open access book gathers contributions presented at the International Joint Conference on Mechanics, Design Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing (JCM 2020), held as a web conference on June 2–4, 2020. It reports on cutting-edge topics in product design and manufacturing, such as industrial methods for integrated product and process design; innovative design; and computer-aided design. Further topics covered include virtual simulation and reverse engineering; additive manufacturing; product manufacturing; engineering methods in medicine and education; representation techniques; and nautical, aeronautics and aerospace design and modeling. The book is organized into four main parts, reflecting the focus and primary themes of the conference. The contributions presented here not only provide researchers, engineers and experts in a range of industrial engineering subfields with extensive information to support their daily work; they are also intended to stimulate new research directions, advanced applications of the methods discussed and future interdisciplinary collaborations.

Dear reader! In your hand you have the second book from the series “XXI Century Techno- gies. ” The first book under the title “Manufacturing Technologies for Machines of the Future” was published by “Springer” in 2003. This book is aimed at solving one of the basic problems in the development of modern machine-building – working out of technologies and manufacturing equipment which would promote the continuous development and improvement of the final product design, rapidly “adaptable” to the requirements of the market as for the quantity, quality, and variety of products manufactured with the lowest cost and minimum time and labor of the product process. In this book the problems of theory and practice of development in the reconfigurable manufacturing systems and transformable factories for various machine-building branches with a focus on automotive industry are discussed. The problems concerning the development of a new class of production systems which in comparison to the flexible manufact- ing systems are composed of a far less quantity of machine-tools (reduced cost of production) are discussed. In comparison to the conventional automated lines (dedicated systems) they make it possible to rapidly transform the equipment for new products manufacturing. The book has some advantages concerning the art of scientific ideas and the presentation of developments.

This book includes state-of-the-art and original research contributions from two well-established conferences, which collectively focus on the joint design, development, and management of products, advanced production systems, and business for sustainable customization and personalization. The book includes wide range of topics within these subjects, ranging from industrial success factors to original contributions within the field. The authors represent worldwide leading research institutions.

The proceedings consist of 34 papers which have been submitted to the 4th international conference on Modelling, Computation & Optimization in Information Systems and Management Science (MCO 2021) held on 11-13 December, 2021 at Hanoi, Vietnam. The book is composed of 3 parts: Optimization of complex systems - models and methods, Machine Learning - algorithms and applications, and Cryptography. All chapters in the books discuss theoretical and algorithmic as well as practical issues connected with modelling, computation & optimization in Information Systems and Management Science. Researchers and practitioners in related areas will find a wealth of inspiring ideas and useful tools & techniques for their own work.

“Changeable and Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems” discusses key strategies for success in the changing manufacturing environment. Changes can often be anticipated but some go beyond the design range, requiring innovative change enablers and adaptation mechanisms. The book presents the new concept of Changeability as an umbrella framework that encompasses paradigms such as agility, adaptability, flexibility and reconfigurability. It provides the definitions and classification of key terms in this new field, and emphasizes the required physical/hard and logical/soft change enablers. The book presents cutting edge technologies and the latest research, as well as future directions to help manufacturers stay competitive. It contains original contributions and results from senior international experts, together with industrial applications. The book serves as a comprehensive reference for professional engineers, managers, and academics in manufacturing, industrial and mechanical engineering.

Traditionally, the three most important manufacturing functions are process planning, scheduling, and due-date assignment, which are handled sequentially and separately.This book integrates these manufacturing processes and functions to increase global performance along with manufacturing and production cost savings. Integrated Process Planning, Scheduling, and Due-Date Assignment combines the most important manufacturing functions to use manufacturing resources better, reduce production costs, and eliminate bottlenecks with increased production efficiency. The book covers how the integration will help eliminate scheduling conflicts and how to adapt to irregular shop floor disturbances. It also explains how other elements, such as tardiness and earliness, are penalized and how prioritizing helps improve weight performance function. This book will draw the interest of professionals, students, and academicians in process planning, scheduling, and due-date assignment. It could also be supplemental material for manufacturing courses in industrial engineering and manufacturing engineering departments.

This book has resulted from the activities of IFAC TC 5.2 “Manufacturing Modelling for Management and Control”. The book offers an introduction and advanced techniques of scheduling applications to cloud manufacturing and Industry 4.0 systems for larger audience. This book uncovers fundamental principles and recent developments in the theory and application of scheduling methodology to cloud manufacturing and Industry 4.0. The purpose of this book is to present recent developments in scheduling in cloud manufacturing and Industry 4.0 and to systemize these developments in new taxonomies and methodological principles to shape this new research domain. This book addresses the needs of both researchers and practitioners to uncover the challenges and opportunities of scheduling techniques’ applications to cloud manufacturing and Industry 4.0. For the first time, it comprehensively conceptualizes scheduling in cloud manufacturing and Industry 4.0 systems as a new research domain. The chapters of the book are written by the leading international experts and utilize methods of operations research, industrial engineering and computer science. Such a multi-disciplinary combination is unique and comprehensively deciphers major problem taxonomies, methodologies, and applications to scheduling in cloud manufacturing and Industry 4.0.

This book develops innovative techniques from operational research and management science for the design and implementation of a reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS), and subsequently analyzes and assesses their performance. A reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) is a paradigm that can address many of the challenges posed by the modern market. Accordingly, substantial research is now being conducted on RMS, focusing on various levels of decision-making (strategic, tactical and operational). However, as a relatively new research area, there are still only very few books and articles available on reconfigurable manufacturing system design and management. In addition to filling that gap, this book provides a forum for investigating, exchanging ideas on, and disseminating the latest advances in the broad area of RMS applications in today’s industry. Gathering contributions by experts from academia, industry and policy-making, it represents an essential contribution to the existing literature on manufacturing and logistics in general and industry 4.0 in particular.