New models and heuristics for component placement in printed circuit board assembly

The paper considers an optimization problem arising in the automated manufacture of printed circuit boards. An essential part of this problem is to determine good component pick and place sequences as this can reduce the overall assembly time significantly. This component placement sequence problem can be modelled as a Travelling Salesman Problem, however complex machine and process specifications also arise in practical assembly problems. We describe the variety of placement machinery, providing new, detailed models for a variety of complex assembly problems. Of special interest is the case of a multi-headed placement machine for which we develop a new model and heuristic solution approaches.