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Abstract
Little is known about the interaction among the various manufacturing subsystems in a factory. The output of one manufacturing subsystem is usually the input to one or more downstream subsystems in the plant. Examples include the output of one production line being the input to another manufacturing stage, to a shipping system, or to an automated part conveyor. In all of these examples, the output process of the production line forms the arrival process to the next subsystem. To understand how these subsystems interact, the output process of the upstream line must be understood.
Although many researchers have examined the throughput of manufacturing systems, little else is known about their output processes. This dissertation will focus on one specific manufacturing subsystem, namely the serial production line, in the hopes that understanding this system will provide information useful in the majority of manufacturing settings, while providing a basis for attacking more complex configurations at a later date.
The primary areas for research include the effects of line length, buffer capacity, buffer placement schemes, and processing time distributions on the inter-departure distribution and the correlation structure of the output process of the line. New analytical results are derived for lines of exponential machines and simple non-exponential systems. Simulations are used to extend the analyses.
Results from this dissertation should be useful in factory design and planning, and for understanding how the configuration of the production line (and manufacturing systems in general) generates and modifies variability in the flow of parts in a plant. In addition, it may help us to better understand the effects of buffers on tightly coupled production systems.
