1.1 The HMS Vision
In order to meet diverse customer requirements and to maintain manufacturing competitiveness, next generation manufacturing systems must exhibit such features as rapid development and deployment, flexibility with respect to product quantity and variety, and reusability of manufacturing equipment and systems. The Holonic Manufacturing Systems (HMS) Project will make innovative use of technical advances in computers, software, sensors, and distributed autonomous systems technology to realise the required features of next generation manufacturing systems.
HMS regards the elements of manufacturing systems, such as machines and human operators, and even the manufactured product and its components themselves, as holons. Holons are defined as elements which have both autonomy and the ability to cooperate, that is, to make and carry out decisions through mutual agreements and co-ordinated actions. In other words, each holon must have the data necessary for deciding its actions, means of communicating with other holons, algorithms and procedures for negotiating and executing mutually agreed actions, and means of carrying out such algorithms, procedures, and actions, whether by manual or automated means. For instance, a "virtual" (information only) product holon which needs to become an "actual" (physical) product must be able to request other holons in the HMS to cooperate to carry out the manufacturing processes.
When machine elements are developed as holons, the desired manufacturing equipment and systems can be realised flexibly and rapidly by simple (and possibly self-initiated) combinations or reconfigurations of elements. If holons are used for assigning tasks to machines, real-time scheduling is possible according to actual machine conditions. The objective of this Project is to develop HMS as a key technology leading to flexible and agile manufacturing systems.
1.2 HMS Test Case Results
The HMS Project commenced as a Test Case of the Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS) Feasibility Study initiated by Australia, Canada, EFTA, the EU, Japan and the USA in 1992. In the HMS Test Case, an international consortium of industrial companies, universities and research organisations investigated architectures for highly decentralised manufacturing systems, built from a modular core of standardised, autonomous, co-operative and intelligent elements (holons). The HMS Test Case further: (i) developed methods for international collaboration and co-operation; (ii) achieved a common view on manufacturing technology, and (iii) identified future technologies that would lead to highly flexible, open distributed, autonomous and co-operative manufacturing systems to meet the global economic demands of the 21st century.
2. HMS Project Objectives
The objectives of the HMS Project in the Full Scale IMS Program are: (a) to develop the generic aspects of holonic technologies, e.g., systems design, engineering and operations; and (b) to develop demonstrations of holonic systems technologies in specific applications, e.g., Holonic Machining, Fixturing and Handling; Holonic Resource Management; and Holomobiles.
3. Value Added of International Collaboration
Since the HMS Project will create a completely new architecture, highly diverse approaches and technologies will be necessary for its development. Such diversity can only be achieved through collaboration among many partners with a global range expertise and experience. Furthermore, world wide collaboration is required to accelerate the standardisation and dissemination of HMS technology.
Partners in the HMS Project consist of large and SME-type industrial users and vendors, universities and research institutes from six different regions, encompassing discrete, continuous and batch processing applications, with extensive experience in global standards developments and technology transfer. Thus, international collaboration gives the HMS Consortium both the global diversity and the critical skills necessary for the accomplishment of its objectives. Moreover, the Consortium Co-operation Agreement will ensure equitable and balanced contributions of all Partners as well as fair protection and distribution of intellectual property inter-regionally.
4. Participation in the Holonic Manufacturing Systems Full Scale Project
Australian Industry: . . Broken Hill Proprietary Company Ltd.†, Holden's Engine Company
Australian Academia: . Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organisation, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Co-operative Research Centre for Robust and Adaptive Systems
Canada Industry: . . . . . DuPont Canada
Canada Academia: . . . Alberta Research Council†, Queen's University, University of Calgary, Simon Fraser University
EU/EFTA Industry: . . AEG Schneider Automation, Ansyak, S.A., Bachmann, BT System, Mercedes Benz AG, Rautaruukki, Softing GmbH†, Technologia Y Gestion De La Innovation, VIT Automation
EU/EFTA Academia: . .University of Hannover, Katholike Universiteit Leuven, Tekniker Research Association, University of Keele, Fraunhofer Institute fur Produktiontechnik und Automatisierung
Japanese Industry: . . . . FANUC Ltd., Hitachi Ltd.†, Toshiba Corporation, Yaskawa Electric Corporation
Japanese Academia: . . . . Kaio University, Kobe University, University of Osaka Prefecture, University of Tokyo
USA Industry: . . . . . . . . National Centre for Manufacturing Sciences, Rockwell International†, United Technologies
USA Academia: . . . . . University of Connecticut
† Regional Co-ordinating Partner
This file is maintained by
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Last update: Jan 5, 1995