New models and heuristics for component placement in printedcircuit board assembly

摘要

The paper considers an optimization problem arising in theautomated manufacture of printed circuit boards. An essential part ofthis problem is to determine good component pick and place sequences asthis can reduce the overall assembly time significantly. This componentplacement sequence problem can be modelled as a Travelling SalesmanProblem, however complex machine and process specifications also arisein practical assembly problems. We describe the variety of placementmachinery, providing new, detailed models for a variety of complexassembly problems. Of special interest is the case of a multi-headedplacement machine for which we develop a new model and heuristicsolution approaches