ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors discuss the role of structural control in the broader context of real-time control of flexible manufacturing systems (FMS). They present the major results of their research program on manufacturing system deadlock, the predominant structural control problem in the manufacturing research literature. The authors show how these results should be integrated in contemporary FMS controllers, and highlight directions for future research in the FMS structural control area. Business and technology trends in discrete-part manufacturing require the effective deployment of large-scale flexibly automated production systems. Large-scale flexible automation is the enabler of the afore-mentioned economies of scope because, in principle, this technology allows a variety of parts to be produced through the system, with each of them being profitably produced over a wide range of production volumes. Tactical planning attempts to efficiently track external product demand by exploiting the inherent flexibilities and reconfiguration capabilities of the system.
