Integrated sheetmetal production planning for laser cutting and bending

• Published in: International journal of production research Vol. 45; no. 2; pp. 369 - 383
• Main Authors: Verlinden, Bart, Cattrysse, Dirk, van Oudheusden, Dirk
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 18.01.2007
• Subjects: Physical Sciences
• ISSN: 0020-7543; 1366-588X
• DOI: 10.1080/00207540600658062

Mathematical models, sometimes implemented in commercial software, allow optimisation of individual machines based on specific criteria. For sheetmetal operations, cutting, punching and air bending are subject of extensive research and both process planning and production planning can nowadays be automated to some extent. 2D cutting operations focus on minimisation of waste material and 3D bending operations on minimisation of time consuming setups. However, when integrating both processes the benefits from separate machine optimisation may disappear. Optimised nesting of parts at the laser can create additional setups at the pressbrake. In this paper, the use of OR techniques for integrated production planning for sheetmetal operations is analysed. An integrated production planning model is proposed, aiming at creating feasible groupings of parts while at the same time minimising the number of time consuming setups at the pressbrake.. Simulation is used to verify the applicability of the integrated approach. A case study is carried out to verify the model's ability to generate feasible production plans. Those production plans are compared to a reference case, representing the current way of planning An average makespan reduction of 4.11% is obtained, resulting in an average yearly savings of about 10 days.