Modeling the interrelationship between downtimes and uptimes of CNC machines

Abstract Plant and equipment represent over 50% of the assets in most manufacturing industries. New technologies such as FMS are having a pervasive effect on technology adoption rates and the resultant productivity gains. The acquisition of CNC machines, which is an integral part of FMS, has been justified on financial grounds; however, this does not take the breakdown behavior of these machines into consideration. The downtime resulting from these breakdown leads to loss of productivity. In this paper an attempt has been made to determine the interrelationship between the downtimes and uptimes of CNC machines using transfer function modeling. The models are tested using data from a farm equipment manufacturer.