Abstract: The reconfiguration expert system for a reconfigurable manufacturing system is one of the most important technologies that can be used to design a candidate reconfigurable manufacturing system. The principle of a reconfiguration expert system for a reconfigurable manufacturing syste is suggested in this paper. Moreover, the automatic and CBR-based reconfiguration method of the reconfigurable modular machine tool and the reconfiguration method of a reconfigurable manufacturing system, according to a given order form, are brought forward. These reconfiguration methods are primary enabling technologies of a reconfiguration expert system for a reconfigurable manufacturing system.

Key words: reconfigurable manufacturing system, reconfigurable modular machine tool, reconfiguring expert system, CBR, reconfiguration principle