SOLUTION MANUAL FOR AUTOMATION SYSTEM AND COMPUTER INTERGRATED MANUFACTURING SOLUTION MANUAL BY MIKEL P. GROOVER .

SOLUTION MANUAL FOR AUTOMATION SYSTEM AND COMPUTER INTERGRATED MANUFACTURING SOLUTION MANUAL BY MIKEL P. GROOVER . Ch01 Introduction-3e-SI 12-15, 16/06, 06/04/07 2 Answer: Flexible automation is an extension of programmable automation. A flexible automated system is capable of producing a variety of parts (or products) with virtually no time lost for changeovers from one part style to the next. There is no lost production time while reprogramming the system and altering the physical setup. Accordingly, the system can produce various mixes and schedules of parts or products instead of requiring that they be made in batches. The features of flexible automation are (1) high investment for a custom-engineered system, (2) continuous production of variable mixtures of products, (3) medium production rates, and (4) flexibility to deal with product design variations