flexible automation

Flexible automation is an advanced form of programmable automation designed to minimize the time and cost associated with changing production from one product to another. Unlike programmable automation, where reprogramming and equipment changeovers create downtime, flexible automation allows for very rapid and automatic transitions. This is achieved through off-line programming, meaning the equipment is programmed at a computer terminal without interrupting the production line itself. Consequently, flexible automation enables the efficient production of a mixture of different products, rather than requiring batches of identical items. A key example is a flexible manufacturing system (FMS), which integrates multiple machine tools controlled by a central computer and a material-handling system, allowing for the simultaneous processing of different product styles and adaptation to changing demand. These systems rely on a power source, typically electricity, to perform actions like processing and transfer, along with feedback controls and machine programming.1234