Simultaneous determination of the optimal process mean and cutting speed for a manufacturing process

Abstract

The relationship between machining speed and the process mean for a manufacturing process has received little attention. This paper presents an analytical model and its solution procedure to simultaneously determine the optimal machining speed and process mean when the objective is to minimize the total cost per part. The total cost of the model includes replacement (resetting), production and quality costs. A global optimization algorithm is used to solve the proposed unconstrained model. Numerical examples to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model are given and an extensive sensitivity analysis of the proposed model parameters is also provided. It has been concluded that machining speed and process mean are highly related. Therefore, the machining conditions should be taken into account when solving process mean targeting problems.

Keywords:

• Machining conditions
• process mean
• process drift
• cutting speed
• process optimization

Acknowledgments

Mohammad A. Al-Fawzan is an Associate Professor at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He received his PhD in systems engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, in 1997. His research interests are in the areas of mathematical programming, production planning, quality control, and maintenance. He has published in several journals including European Journal of Operational Research, International Journal of Production Research, International Journal of Production Economics, Production Planning & Control, Computers and Operations Research and Annals of Operations Research. He has been an adjunct professor for King Saud University, industrial engineering department, since September 1998. He is a member in the council of the Saudi Industrial Engineering Chapter, Riyadh.

A. M. A. Al-Ahmari is Associate Professor at the Industrial Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. Dr. Al-Ahmari obtained his PhD from the Manufacturing Systems Division, University of Sheffield, UK. His research interests include modelling, analysis and design of manufacturing systems, computer-integrated manufacturing, cellular manufacturing, and simulation.