Machine and method for manufacturing a workpiece by a computer-controlled manufacturing machine with an optimal tool configuration

A computer-controlled manufacturing machine with machine tools, comprising:

• a control device including memory for determining an optimal sequence of the machine tools for manufacturing a workpiece, the machine tools being located at respective locations and the machine tools being assigned to respective, precalculated operation times;
• wherein the machine includes a tool transfer point and a tool handler for moving a selected tool from a respective location of the respective locations to the transfer point;
• wherein the control device is configured to:
• a) allocate initial locations of the machine tools, and calculate for all tools i) a first transfer time function, returning a time between the respective location and the transfer point, and ii) a second transfer time function, returning a time of a tool handler movement without moving a tool;
• b) generate possible tool location sequences as a random set of tool location sequences;
• c) calculate a respective first cost factor for possible tool location sequences utilizing a first cost function utilizing the first and second transfer time functions;
• d) rank tool location sequences obtained in step c) in accordance with the respective first cost factor, a subset of the tool location sequences with a lowest first cost factor being utilized as a selected set of tool location sequences, new tool location sequences being explored based on the selected set of tool location sequences and the new tool location sequences being added to the selected set of tool location sequences, and step c) being continue to calculate the cost function and perform the ranking and selection and exploration until a predefined parameter for the number of iterations is reached, define the selected set of tool location sequences with the lowest cost function being defined as the optimal tool configuration;
• e) transfer the machine tools from their initial locations to the optimal locations in accordance with the optimal tool configuration;
• and
• f) manufacture the workpiece with the optimal tool configuration by the manufacturing machine.