A heuristic solution approach to the machine loading problem of an FMS and its Petri net model

A loading problem in a modern FMS is the allocation of a job from the job pool maintaining the flexibility of the system, reducing the system imbalance and thereby maximizing the throughput. In this context a heuristic has been developed. Ten sample problems have been tested with the proposed heuristic. A comparison has been made with the existing methods and it is found that the results are encouraging and indicate significant improvement. The Petri net model for the problem attempted by the proposed heuristic has been constructed to delineate its graphical representation and subsequent validation.