Production Line Example Simul8 Simulation S8 Simulation Tutorial 1 Lesson 1

#Start_Point #Queue #Activity #End email address [email protected] A Start Point is a place where work to be done appears in your simulation for the first time. You can have as many Start Points as you like. Each can feed work in using different statistical distributions (if required). Each can feed in Work Item Types of different types (if required). To create a Start Point, click the Start Point button on the Basic Building Block panel and then click the mouse at the location you would like it to appear in the simulation window. Connect it to other objects using routing arrows. Note that Work Items will be “lost” (i.e. thrown away) if they cannot immediately proceed from the Start Point to the next object on the screen. A warning will be given when this happens unless you have switched off these warnings using the check box in the Start Point dialog. To inspect or change the Start Point parameters double click on the Start Point on the simulation window. Queue Dialog Use this contextual menu to define detailed settings for how you want each Queue to operate. To change the name of a Queue, type a new title in the Name box in this menu. If the Queue has limited Capacity (for example it is a mechanical buffer), type the maximum number of items into the Capacity box. If items should not stay in this Queue for more than a limited time, populate the Shelf Life box with the time limit (in simulation time units). To make Work Items wait for at least a certain time in the Queue use the Min Wait Time field. If you want the simulation run to start with items already in this Queue then click the START-UP button. The Current Contents dialog lets you see the details of the Work Items that are currently in this Queue. Activity Dialog Use this contextual menu, to set the parameters of an Activity. The time an Activity takes to perform its tasks is determined by the settings in the Timing section. If the Activity does not work at this rate continuously (because of breakdowns or other in-efficiencies) specify this using the Efficiency button. You can control how Work Items are pulled in by the Activity using its Routing In dialog. Through this dialog you can access more detailed options, such as Change Overs, which is the time needed for setting up the Activity for processing a new type of work. You can control how Work Items are pushed from the Activity using its Routing Out dialog. If you want to constrain an Activity based on the availability of Simulation objects - Resources, you can assign a Resource to it. Click the Resource button to select which Resources each Activity needs. Actions let the Activity change the values of labels of Work Items and other Global Data items, as Work Items finish their work at the Activity. To see a list of the Work Items in the Activity at any moment in the simulation run click the Current Contents button. This allows to check the values of each Work Item’s Label. Additional tab While most common features are found under the Properties tab, the Additional tab includes some further features that can often be employed in simulation models. Each Activity can be given a priority for obtaining its desired Resources, through Activity Priorities. If the Activity can complete more than 1 Work items at a time (for example if it is not Interruptible, or of High Volume or does not make use of any other special features), you can use Replicate. The High Volume check box changes the way the Activity operates into Simul8's High Volume mode for handling BPR and FMCG type applications. You can also access all Properties of an Activity by double-clicking on it.