Genetic Algorithm Rolling Mill Layout Optimization

Abstract

Štore Steel Ltd. is a small flexible steel plant in Slovenia. In 2010, the new continuous rolling mill, which has a technical capacity of 250,000 tons per year, was installed. The new continuous rolling mill, which entailed a corresponding reduction in space, required an urgent relocation of machinery. The genetic algorithm was used for the optimal rearranging of the machinery. Two-dimensional or three-dimensional representation of the machines without any kind of geometrical restrictions can be used in the proposed genetic algorithm. The layout efficiency after machinery relocation could be increased by 58.1%, but due to spatial, financial, and practical constraints, the layout efficiency is only 13.58% higher.

Keywords:

• Genetic algorithm
• Layout optimization
• Rolling mill plant