JOINT CONSIDERATION OF CELL-FORMATION AND TOOL PROVISIONING PROBLEMS IN FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

The combined problem of forming cells and providing tools in a flexible manufacturing system is addressed in this paper. The objective of the problem is to minimize the overall system cost defined as the sum of annual cost of processing the parts, cost of tools and annualized cost of machines. The problem is formulated as a 0-1 integer programming model. The solution of this model will specify the type and the number of machines in each cell, the assignment of parts of the cells, and the number of copies of tools required. The application of the model is illustrated using a numercal example.