Title: A heuristic model and software development for SMT line balancing: a case study

Authors: Yingkun Jin, Yang Li, M.I.M. Wahab

Addresses: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3, Canada. ' Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3, Canada. ' Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3, Canada

Abstract: Printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) is the major portion of manufacturing processes of electronic manufacturing services (EMS) industry, where surface mounting technology (SMT) has become the primary assembly method. Two series-connected SMT placement machines in a SMT assembly line are often the bottlenecks due to the unevenly distributed workloads. This paper studies the line balancing of the SMT assembly line focusing on the workload distribution between the two placement machines. A heuristic approach is proposed to reduce the workload difference of the two machines without increasing the total machine setup time. A software, which can be used as an effective automation tool for a company, is then developed based on the heuristic model. This will increase the quality of the service that the company provides to its customers.

Keywords: electronic manufacturing services; EMS; SMT assembly; heuristic models; line balancing; workload distribution; printed circuit boards; PCB assembly; PCBA; surface mount technology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSSCI.2010.029864

International Journal of Services Sciences, 2010 Vol.3 No.1, pp.53 - 78

Published online: 02 Dec 2009 *

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