Formal resource and capability descriptions supporting rapid reconfiguration of assembly systems

Today's production environment is characterised by frequent changes in terms of high product variation, small batch sizes, high demand fluctuation as well as random unexpected disturbances on the factory floor. Production systems need to be rapidly reconfigurable and adaptable to these changing requirements. ReCaM project targets to develop a set of integrated tools for rapid and autonomous reconfiguration of production systems. Such tools need to be supported by formal information models describing the product requirements, as well as resource characteristics and functionalities. This paper concentrates on introducing the formal resource and capability models, which are used and further enriched to support ReCaM targets. Also examples of how these models can be applied to support rapid reconfiguration will be given.