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Tool switching heuristics determine the sequence for the parts and the associated sequence for the tools for the tool magazine so that the total number of tool switches is minimized. This paper examines whether there is a need for tool switching heuristics in industry and assesses the validity and usefulness of current approaches. Studies that have tested the performance of tool switching heuristics are examined and their flaws highlighted. The research then goes on to test the heuristics on a much broader range of problems using a rigorous framework. The results reveal which heuristics perform more robustly than others and link the performance of different heuristics to different problem types.

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