Automatic palletizing of concrete pavement blocks: An algorithm for near-optimal assembly

Palletizing concrete pavement blocks is a labor-intensive task that require s high levels of workmanship, skill, and concentration. This article propos es an automatic system in which palettes with required design patterns are assembled automatically off-site and then shipped to the construction sire. The efficiency of the assembly process can be improved by incorporating au tomatic equipment consisting of assembly heads and feeders. An algorithm wa s developed to determine the optimal layout of the feeders (of different bl ocks) around the palette and the exact assembly sequence of each layer of b locks. Experimental results show that the algorithm is near optimal and tha t the solutions provided by it reduce palletizing cycle time for various pa tterns and sizes of concrete block by 20 to 30 percent.