Supporting Data for manuscript: "Using Diversity for Optimizing Cycle Time for a Pick-and-place Machine"

Assigning feeders and nozzles is an important step in the set-up of pick-and-place machines. We study this Feeder and Nozzle Assignment Problem (FNAP) for a representative pick-and-place machine. In this problem, the goal is to find an assignment of the nozzles and feeders such that a given set of printed circuit boards can be produced with this assignment while minimizing cycle time. We propose a novel algorithm that tries to find $k$ feasible assignments that are as diverse as possible, for some parameter $k>1$. By maximizing solution diversity, our approach improves the chances of finding initial solutions that can lead to improved cycle times.