A unified framework for the development of automated manufacturing systems supervisory software for the pharmaceutical industry

Abstract

The myth of software development being a 'black art' has long gone. Today, many software engineering methodologies and Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools are available to streamline the software development process. This paper introduces a unified framework to develop supervisory software for automated manufacturing systems. The framework co-ordinates the efforts put forward by these methods and tools to reduce the cost of software re-configuration, and to enhance the software's quality. The framework addresses the complete software development life-cycle by using an object-oriented approach, to capture and analyse the behavioural, structural and informational aspects of a system. Traceability, completeness and modularity are the principal emphases of the framework. The framework also provides well-defined milestones and guidelines for practising software engineers who undertake software projects for the development of manufacturing systems. The applicability of the framework is illustrated by considering the development of the supervisory control software for an automated chemistry workstation that is commonly employed by the pharmaceutical industry.