Simultaneous scheduling of machines, tool transporter and tools in a multi machine FMS with alternative routing using crow search algorithm in Automotive Manufacturing

In modern automobile manufacturing systems, achieving high efficiency in production scheduling is crucial for cost reduction and delivery optimization. This paper addresses the integrated scheduling problem of machines, Tool Transporters (TT), and tools with consideration of alternate machines in a multi-machine Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) considering tool transfer times to minimize makespan, specifically within an automobile production context. Due to economic constraints, only a single copy of each tool type is maintained, stored centrally in a shared Central Tool Magazine (CTM), which serves multiple CNC machining centers involved in automobile component manufacturing. The problem is to select machines and assignment of tools to job-operations, job-operations’ sequencing on machines, corresponding trip operations including the dead heading trip and loaded trip times of tool transporter for makespan minimization. This paper introduces a nonlinear Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) formulation to model the machines, TT and tools combined scheduling and using a Crow Search Algorithm (CSA) built on the crows’ intelligent behavior for scheduling of machines, TT and tools. The results have been tabulated and analyzed and compared with the other existing results.