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Towards the integration of process and quality control using multi-agent technology

Publication . Castellini, Paolo; Cristalli, Cristina; Foehr, Matthias; Leitão, Paulo; Paone, Nicola; Schjolberg, Ingrid; Tjønnås, Johannes; Turrin, Claudio; Wagner, Thomas

The paper introduces a vision on the design of distributed manufacturing control systems using the multi-agent principles to enhance the integration of the production and quality control processes. It is highlighted how agent technology may enforce interaction of manufacturing execution system and distributed control system, enhancing the exploitation of the available information at the quality control and process control levels. A specific focus is made on a suitable engineering methodology for the design and realization of such concept. Innovation is also presented at the level of adaptive process control and self-optimizing quality control, with examples related to a home appliance production line.

2011Conference object

Open access

Implementation of a methodology for consideration of product quality within discrete manufacturing

Publication . Foehr, Matthias; Jäger, Tobias; Turrin, Claudio; Petrali, Pierluigi; Pagani, Arnaldo; Leitão, Paulo

The present paper deals with the questions how product quality can be influenced within product manufacturing and how production control can be optimized for increasing product quality. It focuses on discrete manufacturing processes and presents a methodology to gather and analyze relevant influences on product quality and a multi-agent architecture for flexible and quality focused production control. It will be shown how both approaches can be implemented to achieve a flexible, adaptable and quality focused production process control.

2013Conference object

Open access

Adaptive multi-agent system for a washing machine production line

Publication . Rodrigues, Nelson; Pereira, Arnaldo; Leitão, Paulo

This paper describes the implementation of a multi-agent system in a real industrial washing machine production line aiming to integrate process and quality control, allowing the establishment of feedback control loops to support adaptation facing condition changes. For this purpose, the agent-based solution was implemented using the JADE framework, being the shared knowledge structured using a proper ontology, edited and validated in Protégé and posteriorly integrated in the multi-agent system. The solution was intensively tested using historical real production data and it is now being installed in the real production line. The preliminary results confirm the initial expectations in terms of improvement of process performance and product quality.

2013Conference object

Open access

Integrating mechatronic thinking and multi-agent approaches

Publication . Foehr, Matthias; Leitão, Paulo; Wagner, Thomas; Jäger, Tobias; Lüder, Arndt

The paper introduces a concept for the combination of mechatronic unit and multi-agent system approaches. It highlights how combining both approaches to a new kind of integrated system architecture may enforce the dissemination and reusability of methods and automatisms developed for one specific system architecture to other similar ones. Additionally it will show how this integrated architecture leads to a better exchange of Automation architectures in general. Thus, all systems compliant with the described architecture may benefit from methods and automatism applicable for a broad range of systems. The suitability of this integration approach is verified by using the example of a washing machine production line.

2012Conference object

Restricted access

Adaptation of functional inspection test plan in a production line using a multi-agent system

Publication . Rodrigues, Nelson; Leitão, Paulo; Foehr, Matthias; Turrin, Claudio; Pagani, Arnaldo; Decesari, Roberto

The multi-agent systems technology is a proper approach to implement distributed manufacturing systems exhibiting adaptation and flexibility. This paper proposes a multi-agent based solution for the adaptation of the functional test plan in a production line producing washing machines, aiming to increase the process productivity and product quality. The global adaptation mechanism is embedded on the multiagent system infrastructure, allowing the optimized selection of tests based on the correlation of the quality data gathered along the production line. The proposed approach was developed and installed on a real production line producing washing machines under the European Seventh Framework Programme GRACE project.

2013Conference object

Restricted access