A flexible manufacturing system, or FMS, is a production cell built around CNC machines with automated part transport, robot loading and central supervisory control. Where an MPS teaches station-level automation, an FMS teaches what happens when machining, handling, scheduling and data collection have to work as one system.
CNC turning and milling machines with automatic door and chuck control, a loading robot or gantry, pallet or conveyor transport between stations, an automated storage and retrieval unit, quality inspection, and supervisory software that schedules jobs, tracks parts and reports production data. Cells are usually described as CIM — computer integrated manufacturing — when the software layer is included.
CNC part programming and setup, robot loading and machine tending, cell scheduling and job routing, part tracking through the system, production data capture and OEE, and the integration work of making machines from different families communicate reliably.
State the number and type of CNC machines, whether they must be industrial or training class, the transport method, whether a robot or gantry loader is required, the supervisory software and its licence seat count, and the total floor area available. Confirm floor loading, three-phase supply and compressed air before the layout is finalised.
