Development of A Flexible-Intelligent Equipment Server using Virtual Simulator

This paper presents a real design and implementation of an intelligent client-server equipment controller in computer-integrated manufacturing systems. An automated manufacturing process is commonly controlled by a number of PLC (Programmable Logic Controllers), which are attached to various equipments. A manufacturing cell consists of a set of equipments or workstation, which are also controlled by equipment or cell controller. We propose an intelligent equipment controller which has two function: one is to request (collect) an important information from each equipment and the other is to send the collected equipment information to the upper level controller (shop floor controller). Two-phase approaches are considered for the development of equipment client-server controller. The first events are generated virtually using computer simulation. Using the virtually generated activities, operating software of equipment server is developed. The second phase is to embed the virtually developed software (controller) into a real manufacturing system. The proposed methodology might be a novel design and implementation of a virtual simulator, which could be used for developing an intelligent equipment server.