Research on the configuration of reconfigurable machine tool using rough set

To meet new needs of shorter production life cycle and changing product varieties, Reconfigurable Manufacturing System (RMS) requires rapid reconfiguration for related modules of Reconfigurable Machine Tool (RMT) according to different part features. Design and configuration of machine tool are closely linked with process plan features of parts, so the selection of its configuration is to a great extent dependent on experience of technicians. In the paper, both configuration selection scheme of RMT based part process features and the acquisition method of configuration design knowledge are presented. Based on Artificial principle and method, the design and reconfiguration architecture for RMT is constructed and based on the architecture the configuration selection system for RMT is also developed which is based on Rough Sets(RS) theory, extracts expert knowledge of design and configuration, and eventually presents needed results. In the last, a case is also presented to verify its effectivity and efficiency.