Genetic routing optimisation for the computer aided manufacture of circuits
Alan J. Crispin · International Journal of Computer Aided Engineering and Technology · 2012
This paper describes the research and development of a computer-aided design tool which aids designers in generating printed circuit board (PCB) solutions for the manufacture of circuits using a circuit board plotter. Under computer control, a circuit board plotter produces a PCB using milling to remove copper from a copper substrate to create the desired tracks. The focus of this paper is on generating single-layer solutions as this eliminates the need for extra material handling operations which are required when milling double sided boards. The paper investigates two evolutionary algorithm approaches for optimising the track routing pattern to force a single-layer solution. The first approach optimises the order in which routes are developed. The second approach optimises both the route order and the flip rotation of the components during the routing process. Results for experiments performed on a cascaded amplifier circuit are presented.