Integrated scheduling of part, tool and automated guided vehicles in a flexible manufacturing system using modified genetic algorithm

Abstract

Scheduling of part and tools without considering material handling devices may result into non-implementable results as the material handling system constraints affect the overall scheduling. In this paper, an attempt has been made for the simultaneous scheduling of part, tool and two automated guided vehicles (AGVs) in a flexible manufacturing system which has identical machines with no on-board tool magazine. All the tools are stored in a common tool magazine and are shared among different machines through a material handling system. Each tool type is single in number. The problem has two interrelated problems; one as loading and scheduling of part and tool and other as scheduling of AGVs. Two heuristics namely priority dispatching rules (PDRs) and modified genetic algorithm (MGA) with three parent crossover are used to find the optimal solution to the integrated scheduling problem. Both PDRs and MGA use an algorithm based on the concept of Giffler and Thompson procedure and a heuristic approach to generate the active feasible schedule. The performance of the two proposed algorithm is compared for the results of makespan. It was found that the MGA gives better results.