Abstract
The interconnection pattern of the processing modules of a computerized manufacturing system affects its performance. In this article, we discuss a set of requirements that the interconnection network should satisfy. Subsequently, we concentrate on a simple and popular architecture, the loop network. The problem we address is to design the layout of the system so that the number of machines that the part types cross in their manufacturing process is minimized. We formulate the problem mathematically and solve it by a heuristic that obtains consistently better results than an earlier popular method.
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Afentakis, P. A loop layout design problem for flexible manufacturing systems. Int J Flex Manuf Syst 1, 175–196 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00223021
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00223021