Design and operation of single-loop dual-rail inter-bay material handling system

Asynchronized automated material handling systems, e.g. automated electrified monorail systems and automated guided vehicle systems, have been playing important roles in manufacturing. Reliability becomes a critical issue as manufacturing enterprises are moving toward automation. In the past, the reliability issue has not been analysed explicitly for these types of systems. In this research, a new measure was proposed to specify reliability. A mixed integer programming model was developed to design flow paths for special class of material handling systems. i.e. single-loop dual-rail systems. The model can be used to design systems with higher reliability. The model and application procedure in design and analysis were demonstrated through two case studies.