GPU-based computing for nesting problems: the importance of sequences in static selection approaches

Abstract

In this paper, we address the irregular strip packing problem (or nesting problem) where irregular shapes have to be placed on strips representing a piece of material whose width is constant and length is virtually unlimited. We explore a constructive heuristic that relies on the use of graphical processing units to accelerate the computation of different geometrical operations. The heuristic relies on static selection processes, which assume that a sequence of pieces to be placed is defined a priori. Here, the emphasis is put on the analysis of the impact of these sequences on the global performance of the solution algorithm. Computational results on benchmark datasets are provided to support this analysis, and guide the selection of the most promising methods to generate these sequences.