Tool placement problem for a given part sequence on a flexible machine

This paper addresses the problem of placing tools in a tool magazine with random-select capability on a flexible machine. The tool placement problem could be a significant portion of the total processing time. It is assumed that the total number of tools required to process a set of parts exceeds the available magazine capacity, and so tool switches may occur between two adjacent parts in a given part sequence. Two heuristics are presented so as to minimize the total travel distance of the tool magazine before the completion of all parts.