Scheduling of PCB Assembly Using Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm

Abstract

This paper deals with the problem of scheduling ‘N’ printed circuit boards (PCBs) on a single machine equipped with an automatic component interchange mechanism. The total number of different components required to process all ‘N’ PCBs is greater than the capacity of the spool. If the essential components are not on the spool, then one or more component switches must take place earlier than the PCB can be processed. The problem consists of deciding the order to schedule the PCBs on the axial insertion machine and the component to place on the spool prior to each PCB is processed. The performance- decisive factor is to minimize the total number of component switches. To overcome the problem, a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is used for optimizing the schedule of PCBs on the machine. Average industrial data are used for testing the developed algorithm for the problem.