Solving the Laser Cutting Path Problem Using Population-Based Simulated Annealing with Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search

This paper presents an alternative algorithm for solving the laser cutting path problem which was modeled as Generalized Traveling Salesman Problem (GTSP). The objective is to minimize the traveling distance of laser cutting of all profiles in a given layout, where a laser beam makes a single visit and then does the complete cut of individual profile in an optimum sequence. This study proposed a hybrid method combining population-based simulated annealing (SA) with an adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) algorithm to solve the cutting path problem. Recombination procedures were executed alternately using swap, reversion, insertion and removal-insertion through a fitness proportionate selection mechanism. In order to reduce the computing time and maintain the solution quality, the 35% proportion of population were executed in each iteration using the cultural algorithm selection method. The results revealed that the algorithm can solve several ranges of problem size with an acceptable percentage of error compared to the best known solution.