Determining an optimal production run in a tool wear process: The case study of the huller and whitener in a rice mill

This paper investigates the behaviour of a product quality characteristic when processing tools deteriorate with time. The rubber roll huller and the whitener, which are the two most important tools used in a rice mill are studied. Independent models are developed to calculate the optimal cycle length for each of these tools. The rubber roll huller problem is formulated for the expected total cost function, whereas a profit function model is introduced for the whitener. A one-dimensional Fibonacci search solution technique is used.