S. Rahimifard et St. Newman, Machine loading algorithms for the elimination of tardy jobs in flexible batch machining applications, J MATER PR, 107(1-3), 2000, pp. 450-458
In the last two decades there has been a significant shift in manufacturing
requirements from productivity towards flexibility, with flexible machinin
g facilities constituting a fundamental part of production systems within m
any manufacturing companies. Traditionally in such facilities, the processi
ng of large batches has been the most economic method of production. Howeve
r, due to the pressures of modem manufacturing, the concept of splitting la
rge batches across identical machines to achieve rapid delivery dates has b
ecome a common practice in the metalworking industry. This splitting of bat
ches across machines significantly increases production costs through the d
uplication of set-ups, fixtures and cutting tools. The research reported in
this paper investigates the application of a number of novel machine loadi
ng policies, termed 'combined machine loading' which aim to meet the delive
ry dates of production orders, and at the same time reduce the manufacturin
g cost. These machine loading policies are evaluated using a series of comp
uter based experiments. The results from these experiments are reported in
the latter parts of the paper. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights re
served.