Simulation-based optimization of geometry and motion of a vertical tubular bag machine

For food industry processes packaging machines with high throughput are required and one way to improve the overall machine efficiency is to increase its working speed. However, testing of prototypes is time and cost expensive. Therefore, simulation is used to evaluate the process and adapt it. Optimization can help to find better machine designs by using simulations to evaluate one solution. This work uses the Discrete Element Method to model a vertical tubular bag machine for packaging basmati rice. The Covariance Matrix Adaption Evolution Strategy optimizes the simulation model and results in a significant machine speedup. This work is a guidance to adapt this method for similar problems