This paper describes a state space representation for routing flexibility in manufacturing systems. Routing flexibility is represented on three different levels, as follows: (i) Operations Precedence Graph; (ii) State Transition Graph of Manufacturing Operation Sequences; and (iii) State Transition Graph of Manufacturing Operation Routes. Each representation is able to represent routing flexibility in different degrees of detail. The third and most complete representation can enumerate all the possible manufacturing operation routes for a given part in the manufacturing system. Bounds for the computation of the representation levels are presented to help the user select the most suitable one for a given context. The versatility of this representation allows it to be linked easily with other analytical and support tools for the to design, operation, and control of flexible manufacturing systems, so that manufacturing flexibility can be properly measured, understood, and evaluated. The efficacy of the representation is demonstrated through its application to problems such as job route selection and routing flexibility measurement in manufacturing systems.
routing flexibility; state space representation; manufacturing routes design
