A Study on Optimimum Packing of Patterns by Genetic Algorithm

A good algorithm for optimum packing of materials is very important in that batch production of small quantities that requires a quirk response of the manufacturing system to the change in the market demand turns out to be an industrial trend. In spite of many researches on optimum packing, performance of pattern packing on the basis of computer aided automation if still inferior to that by manual operation from the material utilization point of view. In this paper we develop a software program based on genetic algorithm that is known to be proper for searching an optimal solution and try to ascertain whether the algorithm adopted is suitable and effective for improving the efficiency of the pattern laying process for apparel manufacturing. The pattern laying problem is divided into two parts: to determine a priority order of pattern and to achieve a high efficiency of materials by the order already given. For determining the order of placing patterns, a genetic algorithm was applied and for a pattern location a path pursuit algorithm. The results show that the pattern packing software, consisting of the genetic alogorithm and the path pursuit strategy used In this study, is one of the ways suitable for making the pattern laying process efficient and consistent, which was assessed indirectly by the random search method. The simulation reveals that the pattern laying efficiency of the method adopted in this study is about 85%, independent of the number of the pattern elements.

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