Loading and scheduling of a flexible assembly system by mixed integer programming

The paper presents an exact approach by mixed integer programming to simultaneous or sequential loading and scheduling of a flexible assembly system (FAS). The FAS is made up of a network of assembly stages interconnected by transportation links, where each stage consists of one or more identical parallel stations. Each station has a finite work space for component feeders and finite capacity input and output buffers for temporary storage of products. In the system different types of assembly tasks can be performed to assemble various types of products. The problem objective is to determine an allocation of assembly tasks and component feeders among the stations and to find an assembly schedule for a mix of products with no revisiting of stations so as to complete the products in minimum time. Numerical examples and some computational results are presented to illustrate applications of the proposed approach.