PETRI-NET SYNTHESIS AND ANALYSIS OF A FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM CELL

The modeling and analysis of a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) cel l using Petri nets is presented. In order to illustrate how a Petri ne t with desirable properties can be constructed, the detailed synthesis process for this cell is described. During the process, top-down refi nement, system decomposition, and modular composition ideas are used t o achieve the hierarchy and preservation of important system propertie s. These properties include liveness, boundedness/safeness, and revers ibility that guarantee-the system to operate in a stable, deadlock-fre e, and cyclic manner. Furthermore, the analysis of a timed Petri net f or cycle time is presented. The timed Petri net is first converted int o an equivalent timed marked graph by a reduction technique. Then the standard procedure to find the cycle time for marked graphs is applied . The paper is of significance in the sense that it provides industria l engineers and academic researchers a comprehensive real-life example of applying Petri net theory to modelling and analysis of FMS cells.