SUITABLE PRODUCTION TOOLS SELECTION WITH THE USE OF EVOLUTIONARY ALGORITHMS

Abstract

This paper deals with the use of a production equipment simulation in the design of production systems, more specifically the welding equipment in the automotive industry. Based on the simulation results, a matrix, which defines the possibility of using given manufacturing tools (in this case welding guns are considered) to connect the plates using the electrical resistance spot welding process, is created. This matrix generates a set of several numbers of solutions depending on other parameters, such as the lowest price, the lowest number of used welding guns, etc. The goal is to solve this task. The solution is presented using mathematical programming. Specifically, the method of genetic evolutionary algorithms is being used. The Solver software is used to optimize the selection of the welding guns’ combination. The Solver is an add-on in MS Excel. The case study shows 15 welding points weldment on which the availability of 20 types of welding guns was simulated. The result is an ideal combination of 2 types of guns for the lowest price.

Keywords

• design process, production system, production process, simulation, body shop, automotive industry, evolutionary algorithms.