General Conclusions

Abstract

The conception of an automatic production line (APL) or the improvement of an existing one, requires a vast capital of know-how that only experienced production engineers can provide. As globally this know-how can only be accumulated by spending years in specific environments, one could raise the question whether a part of this knowledge could be acquired and retransmitted by complementary means. A positive response to this question necessarily relies on the existence of a systematic approach to the problem of the conception of APLs. The need for this systematization has stimulated research activity directed towards the modeling of the behaviour of APLs. The present lecture notes attempt to contribute to this general effort and therefore do not aspire to be substitutes for solid engineering experience and experimental know-how.