Tool allocation in flexible manufacturing systems with tool alternatives

In this paper, a heuristic approach for tool selection in flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) is presented. The proposed approach utilizes the ratio of tool life over tool size (LIS) for tool selection and allocation. The proposed method selects tool types with high LIS ratios by considering tool alternatives for the operations assigned to each machine. The performance of the method is demonstrated in sample problems as static examples, as well as in a simulation study for further analysis. This study also presents a survey of several approaches related to loading and tool allocation problems in FMS, highlights the importance of tooling, and discusses the practical aspects of tool-oriented decision-making. An extended framework, which expands on the LIS concept, is also presented. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.