Cyclic flow-shop scheduling with no-wait constraints and missing operations

The paper deals with a problem of seeking the cyclic schedule with minimal cycle time criterion in a manufacturing system based on the flow of various jobs with identical technological routes, no-wait constraints and some operations missing. We decompose the problem into two sub-problems: finding the minimal cycle time for the given processing order of jobs and finding the optimal processing order of jobs. For the former sub-problem we provide a few alternative methods and analyze their computational complexity. The latter sub-problem is solved by using a metaheuristic. The efficiency and quality of the proposed algorithm were examined experimentally.0 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the problem of cyclic scheduling in a manufacturing system, considering the flow of jobs with identical technological routes, no-wait constraints, and missing operations. The problem is decomposed into two sub-problems, and alternative methods are provided for finding the minimal cycle time and optimal processing order of jobs. A metaheuristic approach is used to solve the latter sub-problem. Experimental examination demonstrates the efficiency and quality of the proposed algorithm.