topic Re: To Add Smaller Assembly Lines to feed Main Assembly line as well as Operators in FlexSim Forum

To Add Smaller Assembly Lines to feed Main Assembly line as well as Operators

ABajpaiWMKNX — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 18:51:30 GMT

[ FlexSim 23.2.0 ]

Opinion needed. Since I am fairly new to FlexSim, and still learning every day, I thought I would get an expert opinion first before making any big changes to the current model.

I have the following model for an assembly line. I want to add the following features to the model:

1. I want some 'Created Parts' to be created in a smaller assembly line, feeding to the main assembly line shown in the picture below.

1.a. Should I repeat everything (process flow, tables etc) for the smaller assembly lines that eventually will feed the main assembly line?

1.b. What would be the logic to transfer the part from smaller assembly lines to the main assembly line?

2. I would like to add operators to each station on the conveyor. There will be a definite number of operators at each station (Station 1 will have 3 operators, Station 2 will have 2 operators....so on), and are solely responsible for parts in that station only. The flow item only moves to the next station when operators are finished installing the parts on the flow item.

ChampionHomes_V9.fsm

Re: To Add Smaller Assembly Lines to feed Main Assembly line as well as Operators

jason_lightfoot_adsk — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 13:38:33 GMT

Yes - use the same structure for the feeder lines - they are assembly lines just like the main line.

You will want to add something that tells that stations which parts it will create out of thin air and which are coming from another line (and which line). I would push parts at the end of each line to an AvailableParts list - maybe partitioned by the part number - so each cell can then pull the part and have it moved/processed/assembled as needed.

Ideally you'd have an assembly precedence diagram from which the cells allocate parts' sequence of operations can be derived if needed.

Re: To Add Smaller Assembly Lines to feed Main Assembly line as well as Operators

ABajpaiWMKNX — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 20:07:46 GMT

1.) Regarding the precedence diagram, did you by any means recommend a similar data-driven approach like you did in this post pasted below?

https://answers.flexsim.com/question`s/139375/line-balancing-scenarios-via-experimenter.html

1.1) By "data-driven", do you mean an approach that queries & generates tables which then is used in the logic? Just like the model that you helped create earlier?

2.) What do you mean by the word "cell"?

3.) How do you recommend I assign operators to stations?

Re: To Add Smaller Assembly Lines to feed Main Assembly line as well as Operators

jason_lightfoot_adsk — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 20:40:51 GMT

1) Yes similar to that. 1.1) Yes

For both of these you can be safe in the idea that a good data structure that defines the process will be the best start for any model architecture you choose - since it's just the facts of the operation. That data can then be used to build the model structure and relationships in different ways and optionally distribute the data for performance gains, but this data I would say is the foundation for your process and should be model independent. It should be the data your factory would understand and could use - not something FlexSim specific. Often this can come from industrial process planning software.

2) Cell - I meant station
3) You can assign them to a station as primary (fixed) operators or you can have them floating. You can create the relationship in a global table; by using a pointer label; by using a label containing an array of points; using port connections, or by using a dispatcher.

Re: To Add Smaller Assembly Lines to feed Main Assembly line as well as Operators

ABajpaiWMKNX — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 15:26:15 GMT

Thanks for the confirmation regarding point 1 and point 2. I will play around with point 3 and get back to you to get your opinion. Thanks Jason.