A genetic algorithm for flexible assembly line balancing

유연조립라인 밸런싱을 위한 유전알고리듬

Flexible assembly line (FAL) is a production system that assembles various parts in unidirectional flow line with many constraints and manufacturing flexibilities. In this research we deal with a FAL balancing problem with the objective of minimizing the maximum workload allocated to the stations. However, almost all the existing researches do not appropriately consider various constraints due to the problem complexity. Therefore, this thesis addresses a balancing problem of FAL with many constraints and manufacturing flexibilities, unlike the previous researches. To solve this problem we use a genetic algorithm (GA). To apply GA to FAL, we suggest a genetic representation suitable for FAL balancing and devise evaluation method for individual's fitness and genetic operators specific to the problem, including efficient repair method for preserving solution feasibility. The experimental results are reported.