Provided is a system and method for minimizing non-productive idle times within an automation process executed by an automation facility, the system including a model memory which stores a probabilistic model of a distribution of object exchange times of objects used or consumed in the automation process; and an optimizer adapted to calculate optimal assignments of objects to magazine positions of an object storage magazine depending on the probabilistic model and depending on a sequence of productive non-idle times of objects used or consumed in process steps of the automation process.

A method is disclosed that includes the operations below: determining, by a processing unit, that arrival times of a lot arrived at N process stages are less than processing times of the lot predetermined to be processed at the N process stages, N being a positive integer; comparing, by the processing unit, idle times of multiple tools in the N process stages; and processing the lot with a first tool of the tools at each one of the N process stages, wherein the first tool of the tools has a shortest idle time.

A working machine feed axis control device: disposes a velocity feedback loop and forms a cascade coupling on the inner side of a location feedback loop; comprises a velocity gain setting apparatus (30) which multiplies the output of the velocity feedback look by a first gain (kv), and a location gain setting apparatus (31) which multiplies the output of the location feedback loop by a second gain (kp); subtracts the output of the velocity gain setting apparatus (30) and the output of the location gain setting apparatus (31) from a torque instruction (τ); and outputs the remaining torque instruction (τ) to a subject to be controlled (27).

Method for manufacturing a workpiece with a predefined sequence of machine tools by a computer-controlled manufacturing machine with an optimal tool configuration, wherein the initial locations of the tools are allocated, first and second time transfer time functions are calculated for all tools, possible tool location sequences are generated, for possible tool location sequences a respective first cost factor is calculated, obtained tool location sequences are ranked in accordance with the respective first cost factor, the tools are transferred from their initial locations to the optimal locations in accordance with an optimal tool configuration, and the workpiece is manufactured with the optimal tool configuration by the manufacturing machine.

A method for allocating resources to machines of a production facility comprises: receiving forecast data indicating planned demands for the resources and a demand deviation for each resource; generating a new demand for each resource from the planned demand and the demand deviation of the resource in several iterations; assigning capacities to the new demands in each iteration by determining resource-machine combinations, wherein a priority is determined for each resource and each machine based on a set of priority rules, wherein the resource-machine combinations are determined by combining the resources and the machines according to the priorities; and generating a roll-out plan assigning resource-machine combinations to be rolled out to future time periods, wherein the roll-out plan is generated from the resource-machine combinations of different iterations and an estimated roll-out time for each resource-machine combination such that a total number of the resource-machine combinations to be rolled-out is minimized.

A method is disclosed that includes the operations below: determining, by a processing unit, that arrival times of a lot arrived at N process stages are less than processing times of the lot predetermined to be processed at the N process stages, N being a positive integer; comparing, by the processing unit, idle times of multiple tools in the N process stages; and processing the lot with a first tool of the tools at each one of the N process stages, wherein the first tool of the tools has a shortest idle time.

A method is disclosed that includes the operations below: comparing an arrival time of a lot arrived at a process stage of N process stages with a processing time, determining whether one of tools at the process stage has a remain operation time which is equal to, or less than and closest to the arrival time, when a first tool of the tools has a first remain operation time which is equal to, or less than and closest to the arrival time, processing the lot with the first tool of the tools in the process stage after dispatching the lot to the processing stage, and generating at least one semiconductor device from the lot based on the comparing, determining and processing.

Provided is a method and device for computer-assisted optimization of the occupancy of magazine spaces by tools within at least one tool magazine for a machine tool, one or more workpieces of a workpiece type being manufactured with the aid of the tools provided by a magazine unit at a provisioning place. A step of the claimed steps of the method described in the description is the optimization of the occupancy of the magazine spaces by tools so that the total waiting time is minimized, wherein the total waiting time is composed of individual waiting times which result in each case from the difference between the detected provisioning period and the detected working step duration if the value of the difference is positive, otherwise the individual waiting time assumes the value zero.

Provided is a system and method for minimizing non-productive idle times within an automation process executed by an automation facility, the system including a model memory which stores a probabilistic model of a distribution of object exchange times of objects used or consumed in the automation process; and an optimizer adapted to calculate optimal assignments of objects to magazine positions of an object storage magazine depending on the probabilistic model and depending on a sequence of productive non-idle times of objects used or consumed in process steps of the automation process.

A method is disclosed that includes the operations below: comparing an arrival time of a lot arrived at a process stage of N process stages with a processing time, determining whether one of tools at the process stage has a remain operation time which is equal to, or less than and closest to the arrival time, when a first tool of the tools has a first remain operation time which is equal to, or less than and closest to the arrival time, processing the lot with the first tool of the tools in the process stage after dispatching the lot to the processing stage, and generating at least one semiconductor device from the lot based on the comparing, determining and processing.