Multi-objective strip packing using an evolutionary algorithm

Good algorithms exist for solving the strip packing problem when the objective is to minimise the amount of wasted material. We describe a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm for strip packing (MOSP) that optimises not only for wastage, but also for the operating speed of the cutting equipment, by minimising the number of independent cuts required by a packing. We show that MOSP returns a set of packings offering a range of trade-offs between the two objectives, and also that, by using heuristics that consider cuts, it derives packings with wastage levels that are better than most previously-published algorithms that optimise for wastage alone.