Research on Assembly Sequence Planning Based on Fluid Flow Mechanism

To deal with assembly sequence planning (ASP) of complex products in manufacturing, a novel assembly sequence planning method based on intelligent water drops (IWD) algorithm is proposed. Constructed assembly planning model adopted the constraint matrix and the orthogonal interference matrix. The fitness function is constructed by the amount of soil carried by the water-drops, which are related to the similarity between the assembly units. The assembly parts are associated with the nodes in the flow path of the IWD algorithm. Assembly planning is global searched in the non-interference solution space. By continuously reducing the amount of soil on the flow path, the assembly sequence is continuously optimized, and finally a better assembly plan is obtained. Assembly planning process of the typical gear pump is illustrated to prove the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method in ASP problem.