Production scheduling of parallel machines with model predictive control

This paper considers the problem of optimizing on-line the production scheduling of a multiple-line production plant composed of parallel equivalent machines which can operate at different speeds corresponding to different energy demands. The transportation lines may differ in length and the energy required to move the part to be processed along them is suitably considered in the computation of the overall energy consumption. The optimal control actions are recursively computed with Model Predictive Control aiming to limit the total energy consumption and maximize the overall production. Simulation results are reported to witness the potentialities of the approach in different scenarios.