Only one Type in Process flow area or zone at a time

Question

question

martin.j asked Sep 27, '18 Jordan Johnson answered Sep 27, '18

Only one Type in Process flow area or zone at a time

What I want to accomplish is limit the number of types of tokens in a process flow segment or zone at any given time. The zone should allow any number of tokens with the same type (or in my case OrderID) as those already in the zone to enter, but tokens with a different type should be held back until the zone is cleared of tokens with a dissimilar type.

I thought a zone would be obvious for this, but what I am trying to do is essentially to create partitions by type and limit, not the number of tokens in each partition, but the total number of partitions the zone is allowed to create.

Of course it does not have to be handled by a zone if there is a simpler way, but it just seemed like the obvious activity for the job.

Software Version:

FlexSim 18.2.2

process flow type zones

Answer 1 · 2018-09-27T20:48:41Z

Jordan Johnson answered Sep 27, '18

Here are a couple demo models. The first uses lists to synchronize order tokens with order component tokens. An approach like this can be used to make sure that only one order at a time reaches some section of the model:

The second is a re-creation of the Zone (also using lists). It allows all tokens of a particular type that are waiting in at once. However, tokens are only allowed in at very select times, so straggling tokens would be blocked out:

singleorderprocess.fsm

changingtypezone.fsm

singleorderprocess.png (42.7 KiB)

changingtypezone.png (55.6 KiB)

singleorderprocess.fsm (25.8 KiB)

changingtypezone.fsm (26.3 KiB)