Modelling, optimizing and simulation of manufacturing systems

Modelling
A model serves as a container of information for communication between a sender and
receiver.
The purpose of modelling and simulation of manufacturing sequences is to improve
efficiency in product design and process planning. This will lead to the economic
manufacturing of high- quality products with the greatest possible productivity.
Modelling manufacturing systems
A manufacturing system can be modelled as a product since the difference is determined
of the usage whereby the type of information is the same. Modelling a manufacturing
system involves a relation to a product domain. It is also stated that there is a third
domain connected – the process domain.
Modelling a manufacturing system can consequently be divided into three domains:
Product domain.
Process domain (a manufacturing process)
Resource domain (a manufacturing system)
Modelling products
Since manufacturing systems from a modelling aspect, are closely related to products it
is of interest to evaluate different types of product models. A product model can be
classified into four different types of models.
Structure-oriented product models: Emphasizing the structure of a product. For
example, an assembly structure or variant structure.
Geometry-oriented product models: Emphasizing the geometrical representation
of a product. For example, a solid model in a CAD system.
Feature-oriented product models: Emphasizing the semantic signification of a
product. A feature- oriented product model works as an extension to a geometry- oriented
model where the functions of the geometric model can be described. For example
maximum load capacity of a vehicle, where the maximum load volume is related to the
geometry of the vehicle.

Knowledge-oriented product models: Emphasizing the human knowledge of the

product in terms of constraints or guidance. For example, how a product within a product
family is allowed to be composed with regards to a set of rules.
Modelling manufacturing system capability embraces all described models in order to be
related to the process and product domain.
Optimization
Finding an alternative with the most cost effective or highest achievable performance
Modelling, optimizing and simulation of manufacturing systems 2)))))))))))))
under the given constraints, by maximizing desired factors and minimizing undesired
ones
Production optimization
Production optimization is the practice of making changes or adjustments to a product to
make it more desirable. A product has a number of attributes. For example, a soda bottle
can have different packaging variations, flavors, nutritional values. It is possible to
optimize a product by making minor adjustments. Typically, the goal is to make the
product more desirable and to increase marketing metrics such as Purchase Intent,
Believability, Frequency of Purchase, etc.
Five factors to optimize their complex manufacturing operations:
i. Taking advantage of revenue opportunities
ii. Tuning up operations and processes optimizing
iii. Utilizing ERP across the enterprise
iv. Finding harmony among diverse applications
v. Coming to grips with this complexity.
Simulation in manufacturing systems
Simulation
Simulation in manufacturing systems is the use of software to make computer models of
manufacturing systems, so to analyze them and thereby obtain important information. It
has been syndicated as the second most popular management science among
manufacturing managers. However, its use has been limited due to the complexity of
some software packages, and to the lack of preparation some users have in the fields of
probability and statistics.
Simulation is an important technique used by an analyst to validate or verify suggested
improvements for manufacturing processes and to verify that suggested conditions or
configurations satisfy design specifications.
This technique represents a valuable tool used by engineers when evaluating the effect
of capital investment in equipment and physical facilities like factory plants, warehouses,
and distribution centers. Simulation can be used to predict the performance of an existing
or planned system and to compare alternative solutions for a particular design problem.
The most important objective of simulation in manufacturing is the understanding of the
change to the whole system because of some local changes. It is easy to understand the
difference made by changes in the local system but it is very difficult or impossible to
assess the impact of this change in the overall system. Simulation gives us some
measure of this impact.
Measures which can be obtained by a simulation analysis are:
Parts produced per unit time
 Time spent in system by parts
Time spent by parts in queue
Time spent during transportation from one place to another
In time deliveries made
Build-up of the inventory
Inventory in process
Percent utilization of machines and workers.
Some other benefits include Just-in-time manufacturing, calculation of optimal resources
required; validation of the proposed operation logic for controlling the system, and data
collected during modelling that may be used elsewhere.
The following is an example: In a manufacturing plant one machine processes 100 parts
in 10 hours but the parts coming to the machine in 10 hours is 150. So there is a build-up
of inventory. This inventory can be reduced by employing another machine occasionally.
Thus we understand the reduction in local inventory build-up. But now this machine
produces 150 parts in 10 hours which might not be processed by the next machine and
thus we have just shifted the in-process inventory from one machine to another without
having any impact on overall production.
Simulation is used to address some issues in manufacturing as follows:
o In workshop to see the ability of system to meet the requirement,
o To have optimal inventory to cover for machine failures.
The following is a list of popular simulation techniques:
a) Discrete event simulation (DES)
b) System dynamics (SD)
c) Agent-based modelling (ABM)
d) Intelligent simulation: based on an integration of simulation and artificial intelligence
(AI) techniques
e) Petri net
f) Monte Carlo simulation (MCS)
g) Virtual simulation: allows the user to model the system in a 3D immersive
environment
h) Hybrid techniques: combination of different simulation techniques.
The concept of organizing the factory into sub-factories with the capability to produce a
technology group is called cellular manufacturing.
Group technology is the analysis of processing operations with the goal of determining
the similarity of the processing functions and, hence, the grouping of the associated parts
for production purposes. Modelling, 3)))))))))))))