Computational evaluation of a novel approach to process planning for circuit card assembly on dual head placement machines

摘要

Dual head placement machines are commonly used in industry for placing componentson circuit cards with great speed and accuracy. This thesis evaluates a novel approachfor prescribing process plans for circuit card assembly on dual head placement machines.Process planning involves assigning component types to heads and to feeder slotsassociated with each head and prescribing appropriate sequences of picking, placing andnozzle-changing steps. The approach decomposes these decisions into four inter-relatedproblems: P1, P2, P3 and P4. This thesis reviews this approach; presents a new heuristicto address P1; a method to facilitate P2 and P3 solutions; a method to control nozzlechanges in P4; tests approaches to P1, P2, P3 and P4; and presents a thorough analysis ofcomputational results to evaluate the efficacy of the approach which aims to balanceworkloads on machine heads to maximize assembly line throughput.