Comparison of meta-heuristic algorithms for clustering rectangles

In this paper we consider a simplified version of the stock cutting (two-dimensional bin packing) problem. We compare three meta-heuristic algorithms (genetic algorithm (GA), tabu search (TS) and simulated annealing (SA)) when applied to this problem. The results show that tabu search and simulated annealing produce good quality results. This is not the case with the genetic algorithm. The problem, and its representation, is fully described along with key test results.