MEASUREMENT & INSPECTION
director and general manager for the Arena business of Rockwell Automation. Arena was one of the pioneers in discrete event simula- tion applied to manufacturing. Discrete event modeling depicts the behavior of a complex system as a series of well-defi ned and ordered events. “We use a fl ow chart technique that looks a lot like [popular] fl ow charting tools, so you build up to the work- fl ow and process, visually adding in information with mouse clicks that avoids programming,” Kranz said, explaining the key to making Arena’s simulations easy to create and use. It can display results in either a 2D or 3D format, employing a gaming engine to produce its 3D graphics.
The source of the data is an extensive library of com-
mon data objects—think a conveyor belt or packaging machine selectable from a menu. Users can also create customized templates. When asked about accuracy and potential error, Kranz re-
directed the question into a discussion of how exactly these kinds of simulations off er value. “[They] really provide value by characterizing and understanding the variability that ex- ists in a system,” he said. “For example, we do not model the thermodynamics or physical properties of the system. If we are modeling how a part is created through a welding pro- cess, we look at the statistical variability around that step and use that to understand the variability in the entire process.”
Three-dimensional graphics that accom- pany rigorous underly- ing mathematics are a hallmark of today’s digital manufacturing simulations.
Manufacturing simulation tools are well suited for
companies that are struggling with at least one of three challenges, he said: A high degree of uncertainty or variability; constraints on resources, or highly complex manufacturing systems. These SIM tools can also be used to map out and
simulate business processes, as well, by using the same fl ow-chart technique. “A variety of industries use our soft- ware, with manufacturing clearly number one,” Kranz said, noting that more than 52,000 college students worldwide have downloaded the software. Supply-chain analysis and human resource planning are
common uses of the Arena technology, he said. Automo- tive OEMs and small-part manufacturers at the sub-tier lev- el use it, as well, to understand and modify their processes.
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For maximum utility, Kranz encourages users to build a functional specifi cation of the process to defi ne the objec- tive and describe the system and rules of operation, with special consideration for the data required. “Once you do that, creating a simulation comes pretty quickly,” he said. FlexSim, an independent company off ering a software
package of the same name off ers another simulation tool for factory simulation. “Our emphasis has been from the start on 3D simula- tions with realistic and stunning graphics to solve modern manufacturing problems,” said Markus Cueva, educational program director for the 18-year old fi rm. “Manufacturing is our biggest industry, and the typical users are people with backgrounds and education in industrial and systems engineering, with many holding degrees in that fi eld. Many
March 2017 Image courtesy FlexSim
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