Energy-Conscious Parts Routing for Machine-Shop Configuration

The contemporary issues of global warming, emissions of greenhouse gases and depletion of fossil reserves call for energy efficiency by doing more with less consumption of energy. Within the domain of discrete parts manufacturing, the efforts are being done to make manufacturing processes energy efficient while overlooking production related aspects such as production planning, work sequencing and parts routing. The current work puts forward an analytical approach for saving energy in a machine shop setting by optimizing process-machine assignment for multiple parts in a production facility. A nonlinear model is worked out that seeks minimization of total energy consumed in machining various quantities of multiple parts on different machines. The model is applicable to a large machining facility where various machining processes can be performed on multiple machines available. A metaheuristic is worked out for solving the model. An application example is also provided that shows the potential energy-conscious parts routing can have in saving energy in a discrete part manufacturing system.