An optimisation model for selective inspection in serial manufacturing systems

This paper describes an optimization model for allocating inspection efforts at each stage in a serial multi-stage assembly line. The model explicitly considers the economic tradeoff between product yield and inspection accuracy. The paper also shows that the use of a heuristic solution method, simulated annealing, is effective and efficient for solving the inspection allocation model. Problem instances have been developed using real production and visual inspection data provided by a local high-volume electronics manufacturer. In addition, randomly generated problems are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed heuristic.