RELIABILITY OF INFORMATION-FLOW IN A CIM SYSTEM

Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) systems provide a shared datab ase management capability, and an information flow network that links automated manufacturing subsystems such as computer-aided design (CAD) , flexible manufacturing systems (FMS), manufacturing resource plannin g (MRP II), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and group technology ( GT) into a unified, well-coordinated system. Integration in a CIM envi ronment is the sharing of information among different subsystems of th e manufacturing system. The success of a CIM often depends on how well the subsystems are integrated in the communication network. This stud y employs the method of system reliability to the analysis of informat ion flow in a CIM network.