Discrete manufacturing process design optimization using computer simulation and generalized hill climbing algorithms

Discrete manufacturing process designs can be modelled using computer simulation. Determining optimal designs using such models is very difficult, due to the large number of manufacturing process sequences and associated parameter settings that exist. This has forced researchers to develop heuristic strategies to address such design problems. This paper introduces a new general heuristic strategy for discrete manufacturing process design optimization, called generalized hill climbing (GHC) algorithms. GHC algorithms provide a unifying approach for addressing such problems in particular, and intractable discrete optimization problems in general. Heuristic strategies such as simulated annealing, threshold accepting, Monte Carlo search, local search, and tabu search (among others) can all be formulated as GHC algorithms. Computational results are reported with various GHC algorithms applied to computer simulation models of discrete manufacturing process designs under study at the Materials Process Design Branch of Wright Laboratory, Wright Patterson Air Force Base.