Tool allocation in flexible manufacturing systems with tool alternatives

In this paper, a heuristic approach for tool selection in flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) is presented. The proposed approach utilizes the ratio of tool life over tool size (L/S) for tool selection and allocation. The proposed method selects tool types with high L/S ratios by considering tool alternatives for the operations assigned to each machine. The performance of the method is demonstrated in sample problems as static examples, as well as in a simulation study for further analysis. This study also presents a survey of several approaches related to loading and tool allocation problems in FMS, highlights the importance of tooling, and discusses the practical aspects of tool-oriented decision-making. An extended framework, which expands on the L/S concept, is also presented.