Original Article

Hybrid path planning method for PCB drilling based on feature-aware and zone-optimization strategy

¹ Anyang Institute of Technology, Anyang 455000, PR China
² Henan Xiangyu Medical Equipment Co., Ltd. Anyang 455000, PR China

^* e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Received: 7 November 2025
Accepted: 12 May 2026

Abstract

To improve machining efficiency, this paper investigates the path optimization problem in numerically controlled drilling of printed circuit boards. The traditional Traveling Salesman Problem model exhibits significant limitations when applied to circuit boards characterized by high density and repetitive hole patterns. By analyzing spatial distribution features such as cluster distribution and module reuse of the holes, a hybrid path optimization algorithm is proposed. This method identifies holes with regular distributions and clusters them as macro operation units. A hierarchical optimization strategy is then adopted, performing inter-zone optimization first followed by intra-zone optimization. Decomposing the large-scale Traveling Salesman Problem into multiple smaller sub-problems significantly reduces computational complexity. By integrating the optimization of cluster entry/exit points with the 2-opt algorithm, a holistic optimization of both global and local paths is achieved. Simulation experiments demonstrate that the proposed method significantly reduces both the total drilling path length and computation time compared to conventional optimization methods.