TY - JOUR
T1 - Differential evolution algorithm for solving RALB problem using cost- and time-based models
AU - Nilakantan, J. Mukund
AU - Nielsen, Izabela
AU - Ponnambalam, S. G.
AU - Venkataramanaiah, S.
N1 - "in press" mangler Vol og No
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Assembly process is one of the important aspects in manufacturing industries. Industries are extensively using advanced technologies in assembly lines recently such as robots instead of human labor. Cost associated with human labor such as wages, training, safety, and employee management are eliminated with the help of robots. Investments on assembly lines are cost intensive, and industries continuously need to maximize their utilization. In this paper, a cost-based robotic assembly line balancing (RALB) problem with an objective of minimizing assembly line cost and cycle time is addressed. Moreover, there is no research reported on concurrently optimizing cycle time and assembly line cost for a robotic assembly line system to date. The objective of this paper is to propose models with dual focus on time and cost to minimize the cycle time and total assembly line cost simultaneously. Time-based model with the primary focus to optimize cycle time and the cost-based model with the primary focus to optimize total assembly line cost are developed. Due to NP-hard nature, differential evolution (DE) is the algorithm used to solve the RALB problem. Straight and U-shaped robotic assembly line problems are solved using the proposed algorithm, and the detailed comparisons of the results obtained are presented. While comparing straight and U-shaped RALB problems, assembly line cost and cycle time obtained by U-shaped RALB problems are better than the straight RALB problems. The proposed models have significant managerial implications, and these have been discussed in detail.
AB - Assembly process is one of the important aspects in manufacturing industries. Industries are extensively using advanced technologies in assembly lines recently such as robots instead of human labor. Cost associated with human labor such as wages, training, safety, and employee management are eliminated with the help of robots. Investments on assembly lines are cost intensive, and industries continuously need to maximize their utilization. In this paper, a cost-based robotic assembly line balancing (RALB) problem with an objective of minimizing assembly line cost and cycle time is addressed. Moreover, there is no research reported on concurrently optimizing cycle time and assembly line cost for a robotic assembly line system to date. The objective of this paper is to propose models with dual focus on time and cost to minimize the cycle time and total assembly line cost simultaneously. Time-based model with the primary focus to optimize cycle time and the cost-based model with the primary focus to optimize total assembly line cost are developed. Due to NP-hard nature, differential evolution (DE) is the algorithm used to solve the RALB problem. Straight and U-shaped robotic assembly line problems are solved using the proposed algorithm, and the detailed comparisons of the results obtained are presented. While comparing straight and U-shaped RALB problems, assembly line cost and cycle time obtained by U-shaped RALB problems are better than the straight RALB problems. The proposed models have significant managerial implications, and these have been discussed in detail.
KW - Assembly line cost
KW - Cycle time
KW - Differential evolution
KW - Robotic assembly line balancing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84976520861&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00170-016-9086-2
DO - 10.1007/s00170-016-9086-2
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:84976520861
SN - 0268-3768
VL - 89
SP - 311
EP - 332
JO - International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology
JF - International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology
IS - 1-4
ER -