Contents -- Foreword -- Preface -- 1. Introduction -- 1.1 Motivation -- 1.2 Approach -- 1.3 Principal Contributions -- 1.4 Book Outline -- 2. Background and Related Work -- 2.1 Collaborative Manufacturing -- 2.1.1 Concurrent Engineering -- 2.1.2 Agile Manufacturing -- 2.2 Combinatorial Optimization -- 2.2.1 Deterministic Algorithms -- 2.2.2 Stochastic Algorithms -- 2.3 Evolutionary Algorithms -- 2.3.1 Principal Techniques -- 2.3.2 Theory and Applications -- 2.3.3 Techniques for Constrained Optimization -- 2.3.4 Multi-Node Algorithms -- 2.3.5 Techniques for Dynamic Environments -- 2.4 Agents -- 2.5 Distributed Problem Solving -- 3. Problem Formulation and Analysis -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 General Problem Formulation -- 3.2.1 Constraints -- 3.2.2 Objectives -- 3.2.3 Optimization Problem -- 3.2.4 Complexity Analysis -- 3.3 Printed Circuit Assembly Problem -- 3.3.1 Complexity Analysis -- 3.4 Algorithm Applicability Analysis -- 3.4.1 Rationale -- 3.4.2 Problem Structure -- 3.4.3 Evaluation of Alternative Algorithms -- 3.4.4 Discussion -- 4. Theory and Analysis of Evolutionary Optimization -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Theoretical Foundation -- 4.2.1 Notation -- 4.2.2 General Algorithm -- 4.2.3 Basic Results -- 4.3 Convergence Analysis -- 4.3.1 Convergence for a Unimodal Objective -- 4.3.2 Convergence for a Bimodal Objective -- 5. Theory and Analysis of Distributed Coevolutionary Optimization -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Theory -- 5.2.1 Notation -- 5.2.2 Local Convergence -- 5.2.3 Global Convergence -- 5.3 Computational Delay Analysis -- 5.3.1 Centralized Computation -- 5.3.2 Distributed Coevolutionary Computation -- 5.3.3 Computational Advantage -- 6. Performance Evaluation Based on Ideal Objectives -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 Gaussian Objectives -- 6.3 Planar Tile Layout Problems -- 6.3.1 Discussion.

6.4 Design-Supplier-Manufacturing Problem -- 6.4.1 Representation -- 6.4.2 Evolutionary Operators -- 6.4.3 Test Problem Objective -- 6.4.4 Algorithm Performance -- 7. Coevolutionary Virtual Design Environment -- 7.1 Introduction -- 7.2 Application Domain -- 7.2.1 Configuration of the Networked Environment -- 7.2.2 Application-Specific Assumptions -- 7.3 Evolutionary Optimization -- 7.3.1 Representation -- 7.3.2 Evaluation and Models -- 7.3.3 Centralized Optimization -- 7.3.4 Distributed Coevolutionary Optimization -- 7.4 Simulation Environments -- 7.4.1 CVDE Implementations -- 7.4.2 Data Generation -- 8. Evaluation and Analysis -- 8.1 Introduction -- 8.2 Nature and Evolution of Planning Decisions -- 8.3 Strategy for Performance Evaluation -- 8.3.1 Performance Metrics -- 8.3.2 Factors of Interest -- 8.4 Performance Evaluation -- 8.4.1 Evaluation Over a Simulated Network -- 8.4.2 Evaluation Over a Real Network -- 8.5 Applicability Analysis of the Frameworks -- 8.5.1 Characteristics of the Computational Environment -- 8.5.2 Implementation Strategies -- 9. Conclusions -- 9.1 Summary -- 9.2 Future Work -- 9.2.1 Multi-Criteria Optimization -- 9.2.2 Domain Heuristics -- 9.2.3 Distributed Convergence -- 9.2.4 Robust Optimization -- 9.2.5 Prototype and Model Development -- 9.2.6 Applications -- Appendix A Evolutionary Algorithm Theory -- A.1 Population Distribution Evolution -- A.2 Proof of Positive Deflniteness -- Appendix B Models for the Printed Circuit Assembly Problem -- B.1 Part -- B.2 Design -- B.3 Printed Circuit Board -- B.4 Printed Circuit Board Fabrication Line -- B.5 Printed Circuit Assembly Line -- Bibliography -- Index.