Inputting Setup Times as Scenarios for the Experimenter

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Kulan Gunawardena asked Apr 19, '19 Joshua S commented Apr 23, '19

Inputting Setup Times as Scenarios for the Experimenter

Background: I am using the FlexSim experimenter to compare two scenarios for the same Assembly Station - one scenario with a setup time with a mean of 10 mins (600s) and a min value of 7.5 mins (450s), and another scenario with a lower setup time that has a mean value of 8 mins (480s) and a min value of 6 mins (360s). The setup times assume a beta distribution. In either case, I am using scripts.

Scenario 1: As you can see in the script, the setup time is denoted by: beta(450, 1100, 1.5, 5, getstream(current))/**/; (I would like this setup time to be treated as Scenario 1)

I would like another setup time denoted by 'beta(360, 880, 1.5, 5, getstream(current))/**/;' which can represent Scenario 2.

What I've tried to do:

I am wondering if this was the proper way to go about it, as the Throughput in either scenario is the same and I am unsure if it should be? Many thanks

Software Version:

FlexSim 18.2.3

experimenter setup time scenario experimenter variable beta distribution

190419-setup-time-of-machine-varies-between-450s-a.jpg (98.8 KiB)

190419-attempting-to-use-setup-time-as-a-variable.jpg (212.7 KiB)

190419-attempt-at-inputting-scenarios.jpg (72.8 KiB)

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Answer 1 · 2019-04-19T18:16:54Z

Joshua S answered Apr 19, '19 Joshua S commented Apr 23, '19

Take a look at this sample model. The Processor has a label called Scenario where it is changed by the Experimenter to a 1 or 2. The Process time is by case, Which looks at the label on the processor.

experimenter.fsm

experimenter.fsm (241.5 KiB)

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Kulan Gunawardena commented · Apr 20, 2019 at 12:28 PM

Thanks for getting back to me. I think I could do that, however, I'm concerned that there are details in my script (attached below) that might be lost, thus affecting the rest of the model. For instance, Station 1 performs a setup at alternating batches of 20 items denoted by 'int batchnumber = /**\nBatch size: *//***tag:batch_num*//**/20/**/;' and I'm not sure how using 'Values By Case' would account for this. There's also a part of the script in the last seven lines that ensures reworked items neither get setup nor processed at Station 1.

Is there no way of sampling the 'beta(450, 1100, 1.5, 5, getstream(current))' part of the script from the way I've made my model, so that I can have another Scenario in the experiment where I have '360' and '880' instead of '450' and '1100'?

I also wonder if my script for batch processing setup time and your script for the sample model provided for process time by case could somehow be merged, along with using labels to distinguish between the two scenarios for the Experimenter?

batch-processing-script.txt

sample-model-script-process-time-with-values-by-ca.txt

Hope that makes sense, and apologies as I'm inexperienced with FlexSim.

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batch-processing-script.txt (598 B)

sample-model-script-process-time-with-values-by-ca.txt (729 B)

Joshua S Kulan Gunawardena commented · Apr 23, 2019 at 06:34 PM

Can you upload your model, I'll be able to then better customize your model so you can make adjustments as needed. another way to do it is just have several labels on your processor that replace the numbers, then just reference these labels in your experimenter.

for example, add labels on your processor called "LowerBounds" and "UpperBounds" and then in your script you can use

beta(current.LowerBounds, current.UpperBounds, 1.5, 5, getstream(current)

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Answer 2 · 2019-04-20T13:38:20Z

Joerg Vogel answered Apr 20, '19

The experimenter can change any label very easily.

You can set the different parameters of a statistical distribution or the batchsize by labels.

normal(current.myMeanLabel, current.myStdDevLabel, current.myStreamLabel)

Or for a batchsize

current.myOwnBatchSizeLabel

I put the number labels in an object and give them the appropriate names.

myMeanLabel
myStdDevLabel
myStreamLabel
myOwnBatchSizeLabel

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