Dear all,
I am a new Flexsim user trying the demo version to simulate a factory situation.
This factory has 2 mixers which are used to make multiple products according to recipes. The products need large quantities of ingrediënt X and / or Z. These ingridients are stored in big silos and transported using a single vacuum-line to buffers close to the mixers.
Each buffer can be used to add ingridients to both mixers but not at the same time. When the buffer is feeding to the mixer it cannot receive from the silos.
The sequence of recipes are determined in a planning. Each recipe has information about:
- total mixing time
- moments to add X
- amount of X needed
- moments to add Z
- amount of Z needed
If the mixers need the same ingridient at the same time one will have to wait until the other is finished
If the buffer does not contain the asked amount of ingridient the mixer will have to wait until it does
The buffers have a fixed volume
The buffers can not be filled during dosing.
Only one product at a time can be transported from silo to buffer
I want to determine the needed size of the buffers and the needed transportation speed between silos and buffers. Minimum waiting time of the mixers is the target.
I also want to determine the waiting time caused by 2 mixers asking ingredients from the same buffer.
I already analyzed this situation in excel and it was no fun!
I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction to model this situation.
How can I let a source create packs containing the recipe information and how can I get the processor to work according to the recipe are my main questions. (is this possible at all?)
The total factory has lots more simulation opportunity's, the mixed products go to different filling and packing line, packs products need to go trough a combined robot-paletizer. Lots of operator input is needed.
I want to use this first simulation to get the funding of a full licence.
Best regards,
Dennis Varkevisser
