Generic manufacturing cell control

The use of computers on the shop floor has been slight compared with their widespread acceptance at higher levels in the manufacturing environment. Today, there is an urgency to redress this imbalance by investing in modern production facilities, but progress is being restricted by the void between the operational requirements of the upper and lower levels. The Discrete Cell Controller (DCC) is considered to be capable of satisfying this role. This article considers the measures taken by a consortium of industrial and academic partners to determine the specification of a DCC and, in particular, identify the generic content.