In this paper, an attempt has been made to develop a mathematical model in order to study the relationship between laser cutting parameters such as laser power, cutting speed, assist gas pressure and focus position, and kerf taper angle obtained in CO2 laser cutting of AISI 304 stainless steel. To this aim, a single hidden layer artificial neural network (ANN) trained with gradient descent with momentum algorithm was used. To obtain an experimental database for the ANN training, laser cutting experiment was planned as per Taguchi’s L27 orthogonal array with three levels for each of the cutting parameters. Statistically assessed as adequate, ANN model was then used to investigate the effect of the laser cutting parameters on the kerf taper angle by generating 2D and 3D plots. It was observed that the kerf taper angle was highly sensitive to the selected laser cutting parameters, as well as their interactions. In addition to modeling, by applying the Monte Carlo method on the developed kerf taper angle ANN model, the near optimal laser cutting parameter settings, which minimize kerf taper angle, were determined.

The single machine scheduling problem aims at obtaining the best sequence for a set of jobs in a manufacturing system with a single machine. In this paper, we optimize rewards in single machine scheduling in rewards-driven systems such that total reward is maximized while the constraints contains of limitation in total rewards for earliness and learning, independent of earliness and learning and etc. are satisfied. In mentioned systems as for earliness and learning the bonus is awarded to operators, we consider only rewards in mentioned systems and it will not be penalized under any circumstances. Our objective is to optimize total rewards in mentioned system by taking the rewards in the form of quadratic for both learning and earliness. The recently-developed sequential quadratic programming (SQP), is used by solve the problem. Results show that SQP had satisfactory performance in terms of optimum solutions, number of iterations, infeasibility and optimality error. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed on the change rate of the objective function obtained based on the change rate of the “amount of earliness for jobs (Ei parameter)”.

Enhancing the overall machining performance implies optimization of machining processes, i.e. determination of optimal machining parameters combination. Optimization of machining processes is an active field of research where different optimization methods are being used to determine an optimal combination of different machining parameters. In this paper, multi-stage Monte Carlo (MC) method was employed to determine optimal combinations of machining parameters for six machining processes, i.e. drilling, turning, turn-milling, abrasive waterjet machining, electrochemical discharge machining and electrochemical micromachining. Optimization solutions obtained by using multi-stage MC method were compared with the optimization solutions of past researchers obtained by using meta-heuristic optimization methods, e.g. genetic algorithm, simulated annealing algorithm, artificial bee colony algorithm and teaching learning based optimization algorithm. The obtained results prove the applicability and suitability of the multi-stage MC method for solving machining optimization problems with up to four independent variables. Specific features, merits and drawbacks of the MC method were also discussed.

In the era of Industry 4.0, advanced manufacturing systems are increasingly integrating cyber and physical components, making them susceptible to sophisticated cyber-attacks. Addressing these vulnerabilities is crucial for maintaining the integrity and efficiency of manufacturing processes. This study introduces a comprehensive game-theoretic model to tackle cybersecurity challenges in such systems. The interaction between cyber attackers and defenders is modeled as a strategic game, incorporating a cost function that includes production losses, recovery from attacks, and maintaining of defense strategies. Both deterministic and probabilistic approaches are employed: linear programming identifies optimal strategies, achieving Nash equilibrium under ideal conditions, while the Quantal Response Equilibrium (QRE) method captures player behavior under uncertainty. The optimization problem is solved using the CPLEX library in Python, ensuring robust and efficient computation of optimal mixed strategies. The methodology is demonstrated through a numerical example, highlighting the identification of potential vulnerabilities and optimal defense strategies. The analysis reveals that the defender's learning curve is longer and more complex than the attacker's, emphasizing the necessity for advanced and adaptive defense strategies. This comprehensive approach not only predicts attacker behavior but also suggests effective defense mechanisms tailored to specific threats. The findings underscore the importance of strategic decision-making in enhancing the cybersecurity resilience of cyber-physical manufacturing systems, offering valuable insights for mitigating cybersecurity risks effectively. The most significant result indicates the critical need for timely and adaptive defense mechanisms to counter sophisticated cyber threats, ensuring the sustained operation and security of modern manufacturing environments.

Optimization of machining processes not only increases machining efficiency and economics, but also the end product quality. In recent years, among the traditional optimization methods, stochastic direct search optimization methods such as meta-heuristic algorithms are being increasingly applied for solving machining optimization problems. Their ability to deal with complex, multi-dimensional and ill-behaved optimization problems made them the preferred optimization tool by most researchers and practitioners. This paper introduces the use of pattern search (PS) algorithm, as a deterministic direct search optimization method, for solving machining optimization problems. To analyze the applicability and performance of the PS algorithm, six case studies of machining optimization problems, both single and multi-objective, were considered. The PS algorithm was employed to determine optimal combinations of machining parameters for different machining processes such as abrasive waterjet machining, turning, turn-milling, drilling, electrical discharge machining and wire electrical discharge machining. In each case study the optimization solutions obtained by the PS algorithm were compared with the optimization solutions that had been determined by past researchers using meta-heuristic algorithms. Analysis of obtained optimization results indicates that the PS algorithm is very applicable for solving machining optimization problems showing good competitive potential against stochastic direct search methods such as meta-heuristic algorithms. Specific features and merits of the PS algorithm were also discussed.

This paper analyzes the integration of two combinatorial problems that frequently arise in production and distribution systems. One is the Bin Packing Problem (BPP) problem, which involves finding an ordering of some objects of different volumes to be packed into the minimal number of containers of the same or different size. An optimal solution to this NP-Hard problem can be approximated by means of meta-heuristic methods. On the other hand, we consider the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (CVRPTW), which is a variant of the Travelling Salesman Problem (again a NP-Hard problem) with extra constraints. Here we model those two problems in a single framework and use an evolutionary meta-heuristics to solve them jointly. Furthermore, we use data from a real world company as a test-bed for the method introduced here.

Transportation is one of the most important functions of logistics management because of its impact on both the level of customer service provision and the organization’s cost structure. The study explores the transportation cost optimization strategies and how they affect the supply chain performance of Shea nuts in the Agro-processing industries in Ghana. The quantitative study design was adopted and utilized to solicit data. With a sample size of 204 respondents. Data was analyzed using multiple linear regression in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v20). The results revealed interesting findings in the supply chain within the institution as it seeks to assert that transportation is seen to be effective and contribute highly to firms output when Agro companies use outsourcing and pooling as means of transport. From the results, the supply chain correlated positively and significantly with outsourcing and pooling as transport optimization practices in Agro firms supply chain. This paper adds to the existing literature on the supply chain systems of Agro processing firms but departs from previous studies which seek to concentrate not on the transport optimization of the Agro processing firms but rather on the challenges, production, and profit maximization of these firms. Our study is unique unlike any other research previously authored as it seeks to reveal the option of transport optimization that is cost effective and efficiently productive for Agro processing firms to adopt.

The teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO) algorithm is finding a large number of applications in different fields of engineering and science since its introduction in 2011. The major applications are found in electrical engineering, mechanical design, thermal engineering, manufacturing engineering, civil engineering, structural engineering, computer engineering, electronics engineering, physics, chemistry, biotechnology and economics. This paper presents a review of applications of TLBO algorithm and a tutorial for solving the unconstrained and constrained optimization problems. The tutorial is expected to be useful to the beginners.

In future electricity industry transferring high quality of power is essential. In this case, using Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) devices is inevitable. FACTS devices are used for controlling the voltage, stability, power flow and security of transmission lines. Therefore, finding the optimal locations for these devices in power networks is necessary. There are several varieties of FACTS devices with different characteristics, deployed for different purposes. Imperialist Competitive (IC) algorithm is a recently developed optimization technique, applied in power systems. IC algorithm is a new heuristic approach for global optimization searches based on the concept of imperialistic competition. In this paper, an IEEE 4-bus system is deployed as a case study in order to demonstrate the results of this novel approach using MATLAB.

Optimization of a multi-response dynamic system aims at finding out a setting combination of input controllable factors that would result in optimum values for all response variables at all signal levels. In real life situation, often the multiple responses are found to be correlated. The main advantage of PCA-based approaches is that it takes into account the correlation among the multiple responses. Two PCA-based approaches that are commonly used for optimization of multiple responses in dynamic system are PCA-based technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) and PCA-based multiple criteria evaluation of the grey relational model (MCE-GRM). This paper presents a new PCA-based approach, called PCA-based utility theory (UT) approach, for optimization of multiple dynamic responses and compares its optimization performance with other existing PCA-based approaches. The results show that the proposed PCA-based UT method is superior to the other PCA-based approaches.