Pull from List in Batch Production System

Question

question

simon.jutz asked Feb 16, '17 Sam Stubbs commented Apr 12, '17

Pull from List in Batch Production System

Hello all!

I consider a batch production system in which I want the processor on stage 2 (“ProductionLine2”) to produce product specific batches. These batches are released from queues “I1-I5” to the queue (“WS2”) in front of the processor. As the releases from I1-I5 are variable in size and timing (sometimes they even do not release), I need a logic that assigns a unique “BatchID” on each product specific batch that enters “WS2”. Subsequently each batch shall get separately operation (setup and processing) on the processor (“ProductionLine2”). In other words, only the batch with the unique ID is allowed to enter the processor. The dispatching rule in this case is the first-come-first-served (FCFS) logic.

My idea to approach this problem is the following: I use a General Process Flow, that pushes batches (on entry to WS2) on a list, which serves the subsequent processor as reference list (Pull-logic). The processor shall setup and process according this list and of course open and close its input and output ports according this list.

I am facing these problems:

1) I don’t know how enter “batch entries” instead of “item entries” to the list.

2) I want the processor to refer to this list and process the batches according to this list.

Can anybody help me with this rather simple problem? Every hint is much appreciated!

Thank you very much in advance!

Simon

batchproductionusingprocessflow-v01.fsm

Software Version:

FlexSim 16.0.9

batch processing process flow pull from list

batchproductionusingprocessflow-v01.fsm (1.7 MiB)

Answer 1 · 2017-02-16T23:28:42Z

Jordan Johnson answered Feb 16, '17 Sam Stubbs commented Apr 12, '17

I think you can do what you want with two lists:

As items enter the queue, they are pushed on the first list, in the partition they correspond to, based on itemtype. A second token runs a sub flow that attempts to pull one item from each partition on the first list. Once this is done, that token now has a reference to a complete batch of items. I'm not sure what you want to do past there, but the complete batch token then creates a new batch token to get the next five items.

I've attached the model, although items don't seem to arrive on WS2, so I'm not sure if I configured it completely correctly.

5258-batchproductionusingprocessflow-v01-1.fsm

batchproduction.png (16.5 KiB)

batchproduction.png (22.9 KiB)

5258-batchproductionusingprocessflow-v01-1.fsm (1.7 MiB)

· 1

simon.jutz commented · Feb 27, 2017 at 11:17 AM

He @jordan.johnson! Thanks for your reply and help! Basically your approach is, what i wanted to achieve. Still, I think I wasn't very accurate in my first request. I want to process the batches on ProductionLine2 as they are released from the intermediate inventories (I1-I5). Hence they should not get batched together to ONE batch, but be processed separately (as released from I1-I5). The idea without Process Flow modelling is attached.

By now, I managed to cicumvent the problem without using process flow modelling. For now I will use this model. Assining each token the respective batch that is released from I1-I5 would probably solve the problem.

batchproductionusingprocessflow-v02.fsm

0 ·

batchproductionusingprocessflow-v02.fsm (1.7 MiB)

question