| This research identifies and provides novel solutions to challenges that arise when implementing an Agile Manufacturing Information Systems (AMIS). This research constitutes a body of original work in that it has successfully integrated aspects of real time systems control, computer science, electrical engineering, knowledge capture and technology insertion to address the issues faced when developing an AMIS. They include: (1) The divergence between manufacturing control and monitoring systems, addressed by complimenting the current University of Michigan research on domain models and developing a novel mapping from the model to PLC Ladder Logic. (2) Development of the code, heretofore lacking sufficient application of scientific methodology, by providing a method for integrating components into a control plan, capturing and representing a control engineer's knowledge in a generalized abstract model and removing the need for the specialized knowledge. (3) The lack of systems context provided by current monitoring systems enhanced by developing an application generator, based on the generalized abstract model, which automatically creates synchronized control code and information needed by the monitoring system. (4) An expressed lack of experimentation in the software community to transition technology from the theoretical domain to practice in industry is addressed through an experimental effort with industry, where the theoretical methodology was successfully transferred to practice in the manufacturing community. An experimental environment was developed to allow other researchers to replicate the experiments and to continue to extend the research. |
