SUMMARY
The reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) paradigm encapsulates methodologies thatenable manufacturing systems to cope effectively with market and product changes. Thisresearch presents the design and evaluation of modular reconfigurable machine (MRM) toolsas a novel machining solution within the scope of RMS. Mechanical and control designs arepresented, outlining the development of this novel machining system. The property ofhardware modularity displayed by MRMs enables an adjustment of system functionality andthe synergistic redistribution of system resources between production streams, thusfacilitating inter-process capacity scaling. Scalable production capacity and adjustablesystem functionality are the key objectives of reconfigurable manufacturing.