Extrusion press optimisation

Abstract

Wispeco is a leading aluminium extrusion company situated in Alberton. The direct aluminium extrusion process is a hot deformation process that produces aluminium profiles. A press is the machine used to transform a solid aluminium log into an aluminium product. This projects aims to increase the output of the company. The results of the production on the presses will be determined by a scheduling model. An Operational Research model is created to develop a production schedule for the presses. This model has multiple objective functions to maximize the output and to minimize costs. This problem is classified as an NP-Hard problem and will have to use a metaheuristics model to solve it. A simulated annealing algorithm was developed to ensure the model will obtain able to obtain a high quality solution within a reasonable amount of time. This model will improve the production plan of the extrusion presses. This model can also be used to indicate if moving the problem dies to the smaller press will increase the output. This algorithm will develop the best schedule with regards to the cost of the production. Different scenarios can easily be compared with each other with the use of this algorithm, for example, the purchase of new presses. This schedule indicates the change in the production time and the impact on the cost of the production.