Design of cellular manufacturing systems using a genetic algorithm method

Cellular Manufacturing is an important application of group technology in which sets or families of parts are produced in manufacturing cells or a group of various machines, which are physically close together and can process a family of parts. The identification of part families and machine groups in the design of cellular manufacturing systems is commonly referred to as cell design or cell formation. The cells are formed to capture the inherent advantages of group technology such as reduced setup times, reduced in-process inventories, improved product quality, shorter lead time, reduced tool requirements, improved productivity etc. This paper presents the design of cellular manufacturing systems using a genetic algorithm method considering maximization of flexibility and efficiency. An example is included to illustrate the approach.