Cloud-based adaptive process planning considering availability and capabilities of machine tools

• Quick response, adaptive and aware process planning.
• Distributed real-time monitoring of machine tools.
• Ubiquitous data and user access through the Cloud-based service oriented approach.
• Developed platform for highly customised product variants in dynamic manufacturing environments.

Disturbances on manufacturing shop-floors and the increasing number of product variants necessitate adaptive and flexible process planning methods. This paper proposes a service-oriented Cloud-based software framework comprising two services. The first service generates non-linear process plans using event-driven function blocks and a genetic algorithm. The second service, gathers data from shop-floor machine tools through sensors, input from operators, and machine schedules. An information fusion technique processes the monitoring data in order to feed the process planning service with the status, specifications, and availability time windows of machine tools. The methodology is validated in a case study of a machining SME.