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Scheduling in Robotic Cells: Classification, Two and Three Machine Cells

Author

Listed:
  • Nicholas G. Hall

    (The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio)

  • Hichem Kamoun

    (Faculté des Sciences Economiques et de Gestion de Sfax, Tunisia)

  • Chelliah Sriskandarajah

    (University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

Abstract

This paper considers the scheduling of operations in a manufacturing cell that repetitively produces a family of similar parts on two or three machines served by a robot. We provide a classification scheme for scheduling problems in robotic cells. We discuss finding the robot move cycle and the part sequence that jointly minimize the production cycle time, or equivalently maximize the throughput rate. For multiple part-type problems in a two-machine cell, we provide an efficient algorithm that simultaneously optimizes the robot move and part sequencing problems. This algorithm is tested computationally. For a three-machine cell with general data and identical parts, we address an important conjecture about the optimality of repeating one-unit cycles, and show that such a procedure dominates more complicated cycles producing two units. For a three-machine cell producing multiple part-types, we prove that four out of the six potentially optimal robot move cycles for producing one unit allow efficient identification of the optimal part sequence. Several efficiently solvable special cases with practical relevance are identified, since the general problem of minimizing cycle time is intractable. Finally, we discuss ways in which a robotic cell converges to a steady state.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicholas G. Hall & Hichem Kamoun & Chelliah Sriskandarajah, 1997. "Scheduling in Robotic Cells: Classification, Two and Three Machine Cells," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 45(3), pages 421-439, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:inm:oropre:v:45:y:1997:i:3:p:421-439
    DOI: 10.1287/opre.45.3.421
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Hall, Nicholas G. & Kamoun, Hichem & Sriskandarajah, Chelliah, 1998. "Scheduling in robotic cells: Complexity and steady state analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 109(1), pages 43-65, August.
    2. Bagchi, Tapan P. & Gupta, Jatinder N.D. & Sriskandarajah, Chelliah, 2006. "A review of TSP based approaches for flowshop scheduling," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 169(3), pages 816-854, March.
    3. Milind Dawande & Chelliah Sriskandarajah & Suresh Sethi, 2002. "On Throughput Maximization in Constant Travel-Time Robotic Cells," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 4(4), pages 296-312, August.
    4. Vladimir G. Deineko & George Steiner & Zhihui Xue, 2005. "Robotic-Cell Scheduling: Special Polynomially Solvable Cases of the Traveling Salesman Problem on Permuted Monge Matrices," Journal of Combinatorial Optimization, Springer, vol. 9(4), pages 381-399, June.
    5. Neil Geismar, H. & Dawande, Milind & Sriskandarajah, Chelliah, 2005. "Approximation algorithms for k-unit cyclic solutions in robotic cells," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 162(2), pages 291-309, April.
    6. Milind Dawande & Michael Pinedo & Chelliah Sriskandarajah, 2009. "Multiple Part-Type Production in Robotic Cells: Equivalence of Two Real-World Models," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 11(2), pages 210-228, February.
    7. Drobouchevitch, Inna G. & Sethi, Suresh P. & Sriskandarajah, Chelliah, 2006. "Scheduling dual gripper robotic cell: One-unit cycles," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 171(2), pages 598-631, June.
    8. Carlier, Jacques & Haouari, Mohamed & Kharbeche, Mohamed & Moukrim, Aziz, 2010. "An optimization-based heuristic for the robotic cell problem," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 202(3), pages 636-645, May.
    9. Zhi-Long Chen & Nicholas G. Hall, 2008. "Maximum Profit Scheduling," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 10(1), pages 84-107, February.
    10. W Zahrouni & H Kamoun, 2011. "Transforming part-sequencing problems in a robotic cell into a GTSP," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 62(1), pages 114-123, January.
    11. Drobouchevitch, Inna G. & Neil Geismar, H. & Sriskandarajah, Chelliah, 2010. "Throughput optimization in robotic cells with input and output machine buffers: A comparative study of two key models," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 206(3), pages 623-633, November.
    12. Hichem Kamoun & Nicholas G. Hall & Chelliah Sriskandarajah, 1999. "Scheduling in Robotic Cells: Heuristics and Cell Design," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 47(6), pages 821-835, December.
    13. Nicholas G. Hall & Marc E. Posner, 2007. "Performance Prediction and Preselection for Optimization and Heuristic Solution Procedures," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 55(4), pages 703-716, August.
    14. Chelliah Sriskandarajah & Inna Drobouchevitch & Suresh P. Sethi & Ramaswamy Chandrasekaran, 2004. "Scheduling Multiple Parts in a Robotic Cell Served by a Dual-Gripper Robot," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 52(1), pages 65-82, February.
    15. Imai, Akio & Yamakawa, Yukiko & Huang, Kuancheng, 2014. "The strategic berth template problem," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 77-100.
    16. Batur, G. Didem & Karasan, Oya Ekin & Akturk, M. Selim, 2012. "Multiple part-type scheduling in flexible robotic cells," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(2), pages 726-740.
    17. Gultekin, Hakan & Akturk, M. Selim & Karasan, Oya Ekin, 2006. "Cyclic scheduling of a 2-machine robotic cell with tooling constraints," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 174(2), pages 777-796, October.

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