Charged system search algorithm for robotic drill path optimization

Abstract

This paper presents a Charged System Search (CSS) algorithm to solve for robotic drill path optimization involved in printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing industries. Most of the operational time of a PCB Robotic Drill is spent on moving the drill bit between the holes. An optimized path translates to a minimal cost of operating the robot. The drill path consists of a number of potential locations where the holes are going to be drilled. As the number of holes required increases so thus does the complexity to find the optimized path. Recently developed CSS algorithm proposed to solve this complex problem with minimal computational time. The performance of CSS algorithm is tested and verified with four case studies from the literature. The computational experience conducted in this research indicates that the proposed algorithm is capable to efficiently find the optimal path for PCB holes drilling process with reasonable computational time.