Title: Pragmatic simultaneous scheduling of machines, AGVs, tool transporter and tools in a multi machine FMS using flower pollination algorithm

Authors: N. Sivarami Reddy; D.V. Ramamurthy; K. Prahlada Rao; M. Padma Lalitha

Addresses: Mechanical Engineering Department, Annamacharya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Rajampet, Andhra Pradesh, India ' Mechanical Engineering Department, Satya Institute of Technology and Management, Vizianagarm, Andhra Pradesh, India ' Mechanical Engineering Department, JNTUACE, Ananthapuram, Andhra Pradesh, India ' Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, Annamacharya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Rajampet, Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract: This paper deals with machines, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), tool transporter (TT) and tools simultaneous scheduling in multi-machine flexible manufacturing system considering parts and tools transfer times for makespan minimisation. Only one copy of every tool type is made available due to economic restrictions and the tools are stored in central tool magazine that shares with and serves for several machines. TT and AGVs carry tools and jobs between machines. This simultaneous scheduling problem is highly complex in nature as it involves allocating tools, AGVs and associated trip operations including the dead heading and loaded trip times of both AGVs and TT to job-operations, job operations sequencing on machines. This paper presents nonlinear mixed integer programming formulation to model this problem and flower pollination algorithm (FPA) is employed to solve it. The results have been tabulated, analysed and compared. An industrial problem in manufacturing company is used for verification. [Received: 18 October 2020; Accepted: 26 May 2023]

Keywords: flexible manufacturing systems; automated guided vehicles; AGVs; scheduling of jobs; TT and tools; optimisation techniques; flower pollination algorithm; FPA; makespan.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIE.2024.140763

European Journal of Industrial Engineering, 2024 Vol.18 No.5, pp.728 - 771

Accepted: 26 May 2023
Published online: 02 Sep 2024 *

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