Students who complete this course will acquire the following knowledge: - Understanding the main components, structures and layouts of automated production plants, as well as of stocking areas and transportation systems. - Understanding the main metrics used to evaluate the performance of production systems, e.g., cycle time, production rate, availability, etc. - Understanding the issues connected to the selection of industrial robots components for applications, such as grippers, vision systems, or robotic cells. - Understanding the structure of most common CNC machines, with the use of CAD-CAM programming and their related G-code simulations or other languages. - Understanding the PLC architecture and the main programming techniques for automation applications. - Understanding statistical methods and numerical algorithms to assess the performance of queuing systems. - Understanding the main methods for the numerical solution of the most common production scheduling problems: single machine, parallel machines, flow shop, and job shop. - Understanding methods and algorithms for production planning: resource allocation, assignment, distribution. Students who complete this course will acquire the following abilities: - Acquiring the terminology related to modern production systems. - Assessing the performance indices of production systems, devising strategies identify factors that limit productivity and designing method for performance improvement and optimization. - Analyzing the performance of robot components for applications, such as vision systems, grippers or robotic cells. - Interpreting and modifying machining codes for CNC machines, using simple CAD-CAM software tools to design workpiece machining. - Designing and implementing simple programs for PLCs, able to tackle real-world applications. - Modeling sections of production systems through queueing systems, assessing their performance, and identifying bottlenecks and margins for performance improvement. - Modeling scheduling problems for different production systems, and solving them, finding optimal or suboptimal solutions, through heuristic or linear programming approaches.

Basic to intermediate knowledge of MATLAB is required. Student lacking some background will be assisted in making it up through the suggestion of specific documentation, which has to be independently revised by the student.

- Overview of manufacturing systems, manufacturing operations, manufacturing metrics and economics. - CNC Machines overview, introduction to programming with G-codes. Use of CAD-CAM based simulators for the generation of the G-codes. - Complementary topics in robotics for industry; e.g., selection of grippers, performance assessment of robotic cells, vision systems, use of simulation tools to simulate robots (e.g., the Matlab Robotics Toolbox by Peter Corke). - Overview of material handling components. - Simulation of industrial production systems and their control in real time with PLCs. - Queuing theory applied to detect accumulation and bottleneck nodes of a production plant. Algorithms and statistical methods for reliability evaluation and quality control monitoring of production lots. - The main scheduling problems of automated production systems: single machine, parallel machines, flow shop and job shop. Solutions obtained by known rules when applicable or, in general, by numerical algorithms. - Methods and algorithms for production planning: resource allocation, assignment and distribution. - Conclusive remarks and exam simulation

Theoretical foundations of each topic will be given in traditional in-class lectures. In-class lectures will be integrated by exercises, which will be partly solved in class and partly left to students for completion as homework. Each topic will be complemented by laboratory activities, aiming at describing one or more tools for the analysis and simulation of the systems under exams (e.g., simulators for robots, CNC machines, PLC, scheduling solvers, etc.)

Handouts, notes, and program codes will be provided during the course. The instructor notes will include solved and unsolved exercises. Textbooks are not mandatory. Selected parts may be useful to understand more in-depth the concepts reported in handouts and notes. Texbooks 1. M.P. Groover, “Automation, Production Systems, and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing”, Pearson 2. H. Jack, “Automating Manufacturing Systems with PLCs”, free download at http://claymore.engineer.gvsu.edu/~jackh/books.html 3. P. Monkman et al., “Robot Grippers”, Wiley 4. C.G. Cassandras, S. Lafortune, “Indtroduction to Discrete Event Systems”, Springer 5. M.L. Pinedo, “Scheduling – Theory, Algorithms, and Systems”, Springer

Exam: Computer lab-based test; Written test;

Specific learning outcomes are assessed through the administration of a final exam, either in a written form executed in the classroom, or using the moodle-based "Exam" platform in the Politecnico laboratories, according to the availability of Politecnico's facilities. Knowledge items will be assessed through the administration of quizzes, theoretical exercises, and problems concerning the description of the working principles of production systems. Abilities will be assessed through the administration of numerical exercises and problems, as well as through the design, analysis, or modification of software elements, written in the programming languages studied in class. The exam consists of written/online test, aimed at assessing the comprehension of the theoretical concepts and the ability to apply them to practical case studies. The test consists of two sections: - the first section comprises 10 to 15 multiple-choice questions; - the second section comprises 3 to 5 problems. Such problems can be open-answer questions, numerical problems, coding problems. Incentives and penalties on the final marks may be given to students, in an amount not greater than the +/-10%, based on the active participation to the laboratory activities. Students abroad for study reasons and other particular cases will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The exact norms about incentives and penalties will be communicated at the beginning of the semester. The exam is closed-books, closed-notes. Students are allowed to take with them a single A4 sheet, which may be compiled on both sides with notes and formulae at their wish. The exam duration is 2 hours. At least a full, real-time exam simulation will be carried out before the start of the exam session. An additional oral examination may only be requested by the instructor, in order to better assess the student’s preparation.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.

Exam: Computer-based written test using the PoliTo platform;

Specific learning outcomes are assessed through the administration of a final exam containing quizzes and open-answer problems, executed from remote on the moodle-based "Exam" platform, integrated with proctoring tools. Knowledge items will be assessed through the administration of quizzes, theoretical exercises, and problems concerning the description of the working principles of production systems. Abilities will be assessed through the administration of numerical exercises and problems, as well as through the design, analysis, or modification of software elements, written in the programming languages studied in class. The exam consists of an online test to be carried out on the moodle platform, using lockdown browser and respondus tools. The exam is aimed at assessing the comprehension of the theoretical concepts and the ability to apply them to practical case studies. The test consists of two sections: - the first section comprises 10 to 15 multiple-choice questions; - the second section comprises 3 to 5 problems. Such problems can be open-answer questions, numerical problems, coding problems. Problems will be either answered directly in the exam platform, or solved on paper, scanned and uploaded to the platform. The exam is closed-books, closed-notes. Students are allowed to take with them a single A4 sheet, which may be compiled on both sides with notes and formulae at their wish. Only simple and scientific calculators may be used. Tablets and other devices like smartphones cannot be used. The exam duration is 2 hours. At least a full, real-time exam simulation will be carried out before the start of the exam session. An additional oral examination may only be requested by the instructor, in order to better assess the student’s preparation. Exam templates will be available in the class websites. At least a full, real-time exam simulation will be carried out before the start of the exam session.

Exam: Computer lab-based test; Written test; Computer-based written test using the PoliTo platform;

Specific learning outcomes are assessed through the administration of a final exam containing quizzes and open-answer problems, according to the following: onsite students will take a written or computer-based test ("Exam" platform), according to the availability of Politecnico's facilities; whereas online students will take a computer-based test on the "Exam" platform, integrated with proctoring tools (Respondus). Knowledge items will be assessed through the administration of quizzes, theoretical exercises and problems concerning the description of the working principles of production systems. Abilities will be assessed through the administration of numerical exercises and problems, as well as through the design, analysis, or modification of software elements, written in the programming languages studied in class. The exam is aimed at assessing the comprehension of the theoretical concepts and the ability to apply them to practical case studies. The test consists of two sections: - the first section comprises 10 to 15 multiple-choice questions; - the second section comprises 3 to 5 problems. Such problems can be open-answer questions, numerical problems, coding problems. Problems will be either answered directly in the exam platform, or solved on paper, scanned and uploaded to the platform. The exam is closed-books, closed-notes. Students are allowed to take with them a single A4 sheet, which may be compiled on both sides with notes and formulae at their wish. Only simple and scientific calculators may be used. Tablets and other devices like smartphones cannot be used. The exam duration is 2 hours. An additional oral examination may only be requested by the instructor, in order to better assess the student’s preparation. Exam templates will be available in the class websites. At least a full, real-time exam simulation will be carried out before the start of the exam session.