A genetic algorithm for two dimensional strip packing problems

Abstract

Cutting and packing problems are combinatorial optimisation problems. In most manufacturing situations a raw material, usually in some standard size, has to be divided or cut into smaller items to complete the production of some product. It is therefore desirable that this raw material be used efficiently. A novel placement heuristic, hybridised with a genetic algorithm, is presented in this paper. A general solution encoding scheme, which is used to encode two dimensional strip packing problems, is also introduced in this study.