Assessing Shop Floor Layouts in the Context of Process Plans

With regard to the simulation model, this task was divided into two stages. In the first stage, the production orders of the batches of the parts are carried out, in which the following activities are performed: generation of the parts’ features, specification of the quantity of duplicate features, specification of the batch size, specification of the demand type, generation of the machining sequence, and calculation of the machining times. Chin emphasizes the importance of batch size analysis, evaluating different strategies of batch sizes applied to virtual cells, seeking to reduce manufacturing times.

In the second stage, the system is simulated using the Arena software. The results obtained are stored in a spreadsheet for later statistical analysis. The flowchart shown in Figure 2 illustrates the stages and activities of the proposed method.

Figure 2 Stages and activities for performing the simulation.