An anytime tree search algorithm for the 2018 ROADEF/EURO challenge
  glass cutting problem
  In this article, we present the anytime tree search algorithm we designed for
the 2018 ROADEF/EURO challenge glass cutting problem proposed by the French
company Saint-Gobain. The resulting program was ranked first among 64
participants. Its key components are: a new search algorithm called Memory
Bounded A* (MBA*) with guide functions, a symmetry breaking strategy, and a
pseudo-dominance rule. We perform a comprehensive study of these components
showing that each of them contributes to the algorithm global performances. In
addition, we designed a second tree search algorithm fully based on the
pseudo-dominance rule and dedicated to some of the challenge instances with
strong precedence constraints. On these instances, it finds the best-known
solutions very quickly.
