Task Planning Optimization in Assisting Multiple NC Machine Tools Using AMR

Although advanced manufacturing strategies such as Industry 4.0 are becoming popular, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are still facing challenges in factory automation. One of the reasons is that factory automation may require significant system updates. A retrofittable system that handle versatile tasks is needed to facilitate easier integration in the manufacturing industry. This paper proposes a system that can assist multiple numerical control (NC) machine tools using an autonomous mobile robots (AMR). The tasks integrated are chip removal inside the NC machine tool's chuck, vibration analysis while the NC machine tool is processing and charging AMR. AMR has to perform these tasks within the production line's strict time constraints and AMR's battery constraint. The proposed system produced a feasible schedule of the tasks. Numerical simulation evaluated the feasibility of the produced schedule. The produced schedule was verified by performing in the real world.