Control of a manual Flexible Assembly System for mass customisation and Internet shopping

This paper presents the implementation of a client/server control system for a manual Flexible Assembly System (FAS) with automatic material handling. The system is designed for mass customisation manufacturing in which products are made to customer orders in small batches or one-of-a-kind production with mass production efficiency. This paper presents the control framework for the lower level of hardware control and the integration of an automatic storage/retrieval system (AS/RS) with the FAS. In addition, the system allows product customisation through Internet and its implementation will be discussed. A prototype system for customisation and production of a family of desk clocks will be described.