Throughput Optimization in Constant Travel-Time Dual Gripper Robotic Cells with Parallel Machines

Production and Operations Management, Vol. 15, No. 2, Summer 2006

Mays Business School Research Paper No. 2015-21

19 Pages Posted: 1 Feb 2015

See all articles by Neil Geismar

Neil Geismar

Texas A&M University - Mays Business School

Milind Dawande

University of Texas at Dallas - Department of Information Systems & Operations Management

Chelliah Sriskandarajah

Texas A&M University

Date Written: 2006

Abstract

Constant travel-time robotic cells with a single gripper robot and with one or more machines at each processing stage have been studied in the literature. By contrast, cells with a dual gripper robot, although more productive, have so far received scant attention, perhaps due to their inherent complexity.

We consider the problem of scheduling operations in dual gripper robotic cells that produce identical parts. The objective is to find a cyclic sequence of robot moves that minimizes the long-run average time to produce a part or, equivalently, maximizes the throughput. We provide a structural analysis of cells with one or more machines per processing stage to obtain first a lower bound on the throughput, and subsequently, an optimal solution under conditions that are common in practice. We illustrate our analysis on two cells implemented at a semiconductor equipment manufacturer and offer managerial insights for assessing the potential productivity gains from the use of dual gripper robots.

Keywords: robotic cell; dual gripper robot; throughput optimization; parallel machines

Suggested Citation

Geismar, Neil and Dawande, Milind and Sriskandarajah, Chelliah, Throughput Optimization in Constant Travel-Time Dual Gripper Robotic Cells with Parallel Machines (2006). Production and Operations Management, Vol. 15, No. 2, Summer 2006, Mays Business School Research Paper No. 2015-21, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2558181

Neil Geismar (Contact Author)

Texas A&M University - Mays Business School ( email )

Wehner 401Q, MS 4353
College Station, TX 77843-4218
United States

Milind Dawande

University of Texas at Dallas - Department of Information Systems & Operations Management ( email )

P.O. Box 830688
Richardson, TX 75083-0688
United States

Chelliah Sriskandarajah

Texas A&M University ( email )

Langford Building A
798 Ross St.
77843-3137

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
28
Abstract Views
575
PlumX Metrics