Machine tool selection model based on fuzzy MCDM approach

The selection of a machine tool among the alternatives is a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem including both qualitative and quantitative criteria. The conventional approaches to machine tool selection problem tend to be less effective in dealing with the impreciseness or vagueness nature of the linguistic assessment. Under many situations, the performance values of the alternatives with respect to qualitative criteria are often imprecisely defined for the decision-maker. First, the paper constructs a comprehensive evaluation model for machine tool selection. Then Logarithmic least squares method based on fuzzy pairwise comparison matrix is applied for assessment of uncertain weights of selection criteria, the ways to determine performance value of the alternative with respect to qualitative and quantitative criteria are discussed respectively, and fuzzy integral is applied for the aggregation of performance scores of the alternative regarding different criteria. Finally, the effectiveness of the way is demonstrated by an example. The way put forward in the paper facilitates the machine tool selection problem, it provides an effective way of selecting machine tools during the reconfiguration of the reconfigurable manufacturing system.