Integer programming approach to PCB assembly optimization of modular mounters

We propose an optimization method to maximize the productivity of PCB (printed circuit board) assembly of modular mounters. The modular mounter is a series of compact SMD (surface mount device) placement modules, where each module has assembly head and feeder lanes. The throughput of the mounter is maximized by balancing the assembly time of each module. We indentify the problem as an integer programming problem, and divide the problem into feeder arrangement problem and mount sequence problem by decoupling the path into forward arcs and backward arcs. The integer-programming based algorithms such as branch-and-bound algorithm and transportation algorithm are applied to solve the formulated problems. Simulation results are presented to verify the usefulness of the proposed method.