A general approach to grouping of PCB assembly jobs

Abstract

Ordering of batches of printed circuit boards (PCBs) has a significant impact on the efficiency of the electronic component placement processes. Through PCB batch grouping we aim to minimize the total setup time between batches. Batch groups are formed so that each group can be handled with one component setup. The job grouping problem calls for a set of groups with minimal cardinality. This paper considers three variants of the job grouping problem under a single formulation. A generic mathematical formulation which solves all three of them is given. The variants are abstractions of machine organizations used in present day manufacturing systems. Inspired by the new formulation of the exact solution method a joint heuristics suited for all the three problems is also constructed. Benefits of the new algorithm are its conceptual simplicity, its adaptability to different machine layouts and competitive computational efficiency.

Keywords:

• Printed circuit board
• Component placement
• Electronics manufacturing
• Surface mounted components
• Flexible machines