An intelligent fuzzy decision system for a flexible manufacturing system with multidecision points

This paper describes an intelligent fuzzy decision support system for real-time scheduling and dispatching of parts in a flexible manufacturing system (FMS), with alternative routing possibilities for all parts. A fuzzy logic approach is developed to improve the system performance by considering multiple performance measures and at multiple decision points. The characteristics of the system status, instead of parts, are fed back to assign priority to the parts waiting to be processed. A simulation model is developed and it is shown that the proposed intelligent fuzzy decision support system keeps all performance measures at a good level. The proposed intelligent system is a promising tool for dealing with scheduling FMSs, in contrast to traditional rules.