Algorithms for cutting and packing problems

Orientador: Flávio Keidi MiyazawaTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de ComputaçãoResumo: Problemas de Corte e Empacotamento são, em sua maioria, NP-difíceis e não existem algoritmos exatos de tempo polinomial para tais se for considerado P ¿ NP. Aplicações práticas envolvendo estes problemas incluem a alocação de recursos para computadores; o corte de chapas de ferro, de madeira, de vidro, de alumínio, peças em couro, etc.; a estocagem de objetos; e, o carregamento de objetos dentro de contêineres ou caminhões-baú. Nesta tese investigamos problemas de Corte e Empacotamento NP-difíceis, nas suas versões bi- e tridimensionais, considerando diversas restrições práticas impostas a tais, a saber: que permitem a rotação ortogonal dos itens; cujos cortes sejam feitos por uma guilhotina; cujos cortes sejam feitos por uma guilhotina respeitando um número máximo de estágios de corte; cujos cortes sejam não-guilhotinados; cujos itens tenham demanda (não) unitária; cujos recipientes tenham tamanhos diferentes; cujos itens sejam representados por polígonos convexos e não-convexos (formas irregulares); cujo empacotamento respeite critérios de estabilidade para corpos rígidos; cujo empacotamento satisfaça uma dada ordem de descarregamento; e, cujos empacotamentos intermediários e final tenham seu centro de gravidade dentro de uma região considerada "segura". Para estes problemas foram propostos algoritmos baseados em programação dinâmica; modelos de programação inteira; técnicas do tipo branch-and-cut; heurísticas, incluindo as baseadas na técnica de geração de colunas; e, meta-heurísticas como o GRASP. Resultados teóricos também foram obtidos. Provamos uma questão em aberto levantada na literatura sobre cortes não-guilhotinados restritos a um conjunto de pontos. Uma extensiva série de testes computacionais considerando instâncias reais e várias outras geradas de forma aleatória foram realizados com os algoritmos desenvolvidos. Os resultados computacionais, sendo alguns deles comparados com a literatura, comprovam a validade dos algoritmos propostos e a sua aplicabilidade prática para resolver os problemas investigadosAbstract: Several versions of Cutting and Packing problems are considered NP-hard and, if we consider that P ¿ NP, we do not have any exact polynomial algorithm for solve them. Practical applications arises for such problems and include: resources allocation for computers; cut of steel, wood, glass, aluminum, etc.; packing of objects; and, loading objects into containers and trucks. In this thesis we investigate Cutting and Packing problems that are NP-hard considering theirs two- and three-dimensional versions, and subject to several practical constraints, that are: that allows the items to be orthogonally rotated; whose cuts are guillotine type; whose cuts are guillotine type and performed in at most k stages; whose cuts are non-guillotine type; whose items have varying and unit demand; whose bins are of variable sizes; whose items are represented by convex and non-convex polygons (irregular shapes); whose packing must satisfy the conditions for static equilibrium of rigid bodies; whose packing must satisfy an order to unloading; and, whose intermediaries and resultant packing have theirs center of gravity inside a safety region; Such cutting and packing problems were solved by dynamic programming algorithms; integer linear programming models; branch-and-cut algorithms; several heuristics, including those ones based on column generation approaches, and metaheuristics like GRASP. Theoretical results were also provided, so a recent open question arised by literature about non-guillotine patterns restricted to a set of points was demonstrated. We performed an extensive series of computational experiments for algorithms developed considering several instances presented in literature and others generated at random. These results, some of them compared with the literature, validate the approaches proposed and suggest their applicability to deal with practical situations involving the problems here investigatedDoutoradoDoutor em Ciência da Computaçã

Models and Solutions of Resource Allocation Problems based on Integer Linear and Nonlinear Programming

In this thesis we deal with two problems of resource allocation solved through a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming approach and a Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Chance Constraint Programming approach. In the first part we propose a framework to model general guillotine restrictions in two dimensional cutting problems formulated as Mixed-Integer Linear Programs (MILP). The modeling framework requires a pseudo-polynomial number of variables and constraints, which can be effectively enumerated for medium-size instances. Our modeling of general guillotine cuts is the first one that, once it is implemented within a state of-the-art MIP solver, can tackle instances of challenging size. Our objective is to propose a way of modeling general guillotine cuts via Mixed Integer Linear Programs (MILP), i.e., we do not limit the number of stages (restriction (ii)), nor impose the cuts to be restricted (restriction (iii)). We only ask the cuts to be guillotine ones (restriction (i)). We mainly concentrate our analysis on the Guillotine Two Dimensional Knapsack Problem (G2KP), for which a model, and an exact procedure able to significantly improve the computational performance, are given. In the second part we present a Branch-and-Cut algorithm for a class of Nonlinear Chance Constrained Mathematical Optimization Problems with a finite number of scenarios. This class corresponds to the problems that can be reformulated as Deterministic Convex Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programming problems, but the size of the reformulation is large and quickly becomes impractical as the number of scenarios grows. We apply the Branch-and-Cut algorithm to the Mid-Term Hydro Scheduling Problem, for which we propose a chance-constrained formulation. A computational study using data from ten hydro plants in Greece shows that the proposed methodology solves instances orders of magnitude faster than applying a general-purpose solver for Convex Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Problems to the deterministic reformulation, and scales much better with the number of scenarios

Logic based Benders' decomposition for orthogonal stock cutting problems

We consider the problem of packing a set of rectangular items into a strip of fixed width, without overlapping, using minimum height. Items must be packed with their edges parallel to those of the strip, but rotation by 90\ub0 is allowed. The problem is usually solved through branch-and-bound algorithms. We propose an alternative method, based on Benders' decomposition. The master problem is solved through a new ILP model based on the arc flow formulation, while constraint programming is used to solve the slave problem. The resulting method is hybridized with a state-of-the-art branch-and-bound algorithm. Computational experiments on classical benchmarks from the literature show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. We additionally show that the algorithm can be successfully used to solve relevant related problems, like rectangle packing and pallet loading

Problems, Models and Algorithms in One- and Two-Dimensional Cutting

Within such disciplines as Management Science, Information and Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Operations Research, problems of cutting and packing (C&P) of concrete and abstract objects appear under various specifications (cutting problems, knapsack problems, container and vehicle loading problems, pallet loading, bin packing, assembly line balancing, capital budgeting, changing coins, etc.), although they all have essentially the same logical structure. In cutting problems, a large object must be divided into smaller pieces; in packing problems, small items must be combined to large objects. Most of these problems are NP-hard. Since the pioneer work of L.V. Kantorovich in 1939, which first appeared in the West in 1960, there has been a steadily growing number of contributions in this research area. In 1961, P. Gilmore and R. Gomory presented a linear programming relaxation of the one-dimensional cutting stock problem. The best-performing algorithms today are based on their relaxation. It was, however, more than three decades before the first `optimum? algorithms appeared in the literature and they even proved to perform better than heuristics. They were of two main kinds: enumerative algorithms working by separation of the feasible set and cutting plane algorithms which cut off infeasible solutions. For many other combinatorial problems, these two approaches have been successfully combined. In this thesis we do it for one-dimensional stock cutting and two-dimensional two-stage constrained cutting. For the two-dimensional problem, the combined scheme provides mostly better solutions than other methods, especially on large-scale instances, in little time. For the one-dimensional problem, the integration of cuts into the enumerative scheme improves the results of the latter only in exceptional cases. While the main optimization goal is to minimize material input or trim loss (waste), in a real-life cutting process there are some further criteria, e.g., the number of different cutting patterns (setups) and open stacks. Some new methods and models are proposed. Then, an approach combining both objectives will be presented, to our knowledge, for the first time. We believe this approach will be highly relevant for industry

Solución del problema de empaquetamiento óptimo usando técnicas metaheurísticas de optimización simultáneas a través de procesamiento paralelo

El problema de la mochila irrestricta bidimensional no guillotinada (U2DNGSKP) del inglés unconstrained two-dimensional non-guillotine single knapsack problem, es un problema de corte que se presenta cuando el material a ser utilizado es una pieza rectangular (hoja de material) donde se deben ubicar piezas rectangulares más pequeñas de las que se conoce el tamaño y un costo (bien sea su propia área o un valor establecido). El objetivo es maximizar el beneficio asociado a cada una de las piezas cortadas, sin sobreponer las piezas y sin sobrepasar los límites de la hoja de material

A literature review on the Pallet Loading Problem Una revisión literaria del Problema de Carga del Pallet

Actualmente, las empresas enfrentan una competencia agresiva, por lo que implementar estrategias para alcanzar la competitividad es elemental. En este sentido, en Logística, el uso adecuado de los recursos es imprescindible. El impacto en la ganancia que tienen el almacenaje y el transporte, conlleva la implementación de acciones para contrarrestarlo. Un paletizado efectivo puede contribuir a reducir costos. El Problema de Carga del Pallet (PLP) procura la optimización del espacio del pallet para lograr cargar máxima de producto debidamente empacado. El uso práctico y beneficios del PLP han dado pie a su estudio en la búsqueda su solución. Este artículo presenta una revisión literaria de 30 estudios para mostrar las características principales y los métodos de solución propuestos para proveer la base teórica y las maneras como se ha tratado el PLP. Con el entendimiento de estas propuestas de solución, se busca tener el sustento para elaborar un modelo nuevo.Nowadays, businesses face a fierce competition. Hence, the search for strategies to achieve competitiveness is elemental. For that purpose, in Logistics, the proper use of resources is a must. Storing and transportation cause impact the overall profit, making it necessary to take actions to lower their effect. An efficient palletizing can contribute to reduce costs. The Pallet Loading Problem (PLP) focuses on finding space optimization to load the maximum quantity of packed product onto the pallet. The PLP’s practical use and benefits have made it subject of study throughout time. This article presents a literature review of 30 approaches to show the main characteristics and the solution methods researchers have proposed. The objective of this revision consists of providing the theoretical basis and the way the PLP has been treated. Thus, the understanding of these solution approaches can help in the development of a new proposed model

A Polyhedral Study of Mixed 0-1 Set

We consider a variant of the well-known single node fixed charge network flow set with constant capacities. This set arises from the relaxation of more general mixed integer sets such as lot-sizing problems with multiple suppliers. We provide a complete polyhedral characterization of the convex hull of the given set