Introduction

Abstract

We describe in this book, new methods for intelligent manufacturing using soft computing techniques and fractal theory. Soft Computing (SC) consists of several computing paradigms, including fuzzy logic, neural networks, and genetic algorithms, which can be used to create powerful hybrid intelligent systems. Fractal theory provides us with the mathematical tools to analyze the geometrical complexity of natural and artificial objects, and can be used for identification and modeling purposes. Combining SC techniques with fractal theory, we can take advantage of the “intelligence” provided by the computer methods and also take advantage of the descriptive power of fractal mathematical tools. We consider in this book “intelligent manufacturing” as the use of SC techniques to solve manufacturing problems in industrial plants. The basic manufacturing problems that we are considering in this book are the problems of controlling the process of production, monitoring and diagnosis faults, and performing quality control. These manufacturing problems are not easy to solve because, in general, real world plants are non-linear dynamical systems, and as a consequence there is no simple way to predict their behavior. For this reason, SC techniques, which are non-linear by nature, can be used to solve these manufacturing problems.