Neural networks in manufacturing: A survey

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been claimed to yield revolutionary advances in manufacturing. AI technology is applicable to the entire range of manufacturing activities. As an AI technique, expert systems have been wildly used in manufacturing for over two decades. Recently, another AI technique, namely, neural networks, are gaining more and more visibility and have been successfully applied in manufacturing practices. While most of the survey papers about AI in manufacturing have been focused on expert systems application, fewer attentions have been paid to neural networks. However, expert systems are less effective in the ever-changing, complex, and open system environment of today's manufacturing systems. On the other hand, neural networks are able to learn, adapt to changes, and can mimic human thought processes with little human interventions. They could be of great help for the present Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) and the future Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS). Therefore, it is necessary to present the state-of-the-art of neural networks in manufacturing. The objective of this paper is to update information about neural networks in manufacturing, which will provide some guidelines and references for the research and implementation. In this paper, the basic concepts of neural networks are briefly introduced. Then, a survey of neural network applications in manufacturing is provided. Finally, the projection of future trends is given to help make decisions concerning neural networks implementation in manufacturing today and to aid in guiding research for tomorrow.