How to create alternate routes for different products?

[nicholas_m4]

[ FlexSim 21.1.5 ]

I am pretty far with developing a model for a manufacturing line, and have had great success with importing 100+ unique parts and their routing into a global table (it is organized with their part number in the left column, and each following column being the next processor it is assigned to go to). Unfortunately due to IP I cannot post the actual file I'm working on.

My issue comes with certain part numbers being able to be run on a set of machines. Due to how I set all the routings up, the table only allows for one location per part. I had the idea to create a separate queue for these specific parts (for example; if Part #1 could go to either MachineA or MachineB depending on which is available, it will be sent to A_BQueue).

I'm not sure where to go from here to make the queue send items to their respective machines based on which is available. Should it involve a Conditional Send-to-Port using machine states? I am open to any suggestions!

[Jeanette_Fullmer · Accepted solution]

Hello @Nicholas M,

If you are wanting the Queue to send product based on availability then would setting the Send to Port to First Available work? If Machine A and Machine B are busy then the items stay in the Queue. Once, one of those machines is available the queue will send the item to it.

[joerg_vogel_HsH]

Try this approach

https://answers.flexsim.com/questions/106086/i-need-help-with-global-tables.html

instead of pointer or names I had suggested Output ports at this approach

But you can try to translate pointer into port numbers by array method indexOf, if you convert the outObjects property into an array.

[nicholas_m4]

Wow I was really overthinking this! Since all my routing logic was through the table, I had wrongly assumed that the Queues couldn't do anything. Setting the ports to Machine A and Machine B and making it First Available seems to have solved my dilemma. Thank you!

[nicholas_m4]

I may do this down the line when I want to grow the simulation to other areas, however at the moment Jeanette's answer is more in line with the current iteration. Thank you though!