A hybrid genetic algorithm for sequencing PCB component placement

Issue title: Integrated and hybrid intelligent systems in product design and development

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Ho, William | Ji, Ping^{; *}

Affiliations: Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author. E-mail: mfpji@polyu.edu.hk

Abstract: A chip shooter machine for electronic components assembly has a movable feeder carrier holding components, a movable X-Y table carrying a printed circuit board (PCB), and a rotary turret having multiple assembly heads. This paper presents a hybrid genetic algorithm to optimize the sequence of component placements for a chip shooter machine. The objective of the problem is to minimize the total traveling distance of the X-Y table or the board. The genetic algorithm developed in the paper hybridizes the nearest neighbor heuristic, and an iterated swap procedure, which is a new improved heuristic. We have compared the performance of the hybrid genetic algorithm with that of the approach proposed by other researchers and have demonstrated our algorithm is superior in terms of the distance traveled by the X-Y table or the board.

Keywords: printed circuit board assembly, component placement sequencing, chip shooter machines, heuristics, genetic algorithms

DOI: 10.3233/KES-2005-9207

Journal: International Journal of Knowledge-based and Intelligent Engineering Systems, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 129-136, 2005