A hybrid Hopfield network–genetic algorithm approach to optimal process plan section

In the automated manufacturing environment, different sets of alternative process plans can normally be generated to manufacture each part. However, this entails considerable complexities in solving the process plan selection problem because each of these process plans demands specification of their individual and varying manufacturing costs and manufacturing resource requirements, such as machines, fixtures/jigs, and cutting tools. In this paper the problem of selecting exactly one representative from a set of alternative process plans for each part is formulated. The purpose is to minimize, for all parts to be manufactured, the sum of both the costs of the selected process plans and the dissimilarities in their manufacturing resource requirements. The techniques of Hopfield neural network and genetic algorithm are introduced as possible approaches to solve such a problem. In particular, a hybrid Hopfield network–genetic algorithm approach is also proposed in this paper as an effective near-global optimization technique to provide a good quality solution to the process plan selection problem. The effectiveness of the proposed hybrid approach is illustrated by comparing its performance with that of some published approaches and other optimization techniques, by using several examples currently available in the literature, as well as a few randomly generated examples.