Minimizing the number of tool switches on a flexible machine: an empirical study

This paper looks at the issue of tool switching in manufacturing companies. The findings, based on work with seven companies, show that industry is aware that excessive tool switches can result in substantial time being spent in tool set-ups. The efficiency of the methods currently employed by these companies was assessed. These methods were compared with some available tool switching heuristics. The results show that tool switching heuristics are applicable to real problems in industry and that they consistently outperform the current methods used within companies.