Faster set-up for DES through integrated standardized template

Abstract

Discrete Event Simulation is one way to analyze and optimize production facilities. The company Virtual Manufacturing AB partly carries out simulation projects for companies with production facilities. In these types of projects, the company talks to the client and analyzes what data that needs to be collected to correctly build the model in a digital environment. The task of collecting the right data and then use that data to manually build the layout of the facility in simulation programs like Siemens Plant Simulation or Visual Components, are a time-consuming part of these projects. This thesis work therefore strived to reduce the amount of time it takes to get from the time when a project is started until real value adding work in the form of improvements to the layout is done. The time that could be saved leaves potential for a larger environmental focus within the projects through more time for the improving phase of the projects. By automating the build of the base model, the employee is relieved of the monotonous task of building the model manually. In this thesis work there has been an information retrieval phase where a questionnaire survey, informal communication with the employees and a literature study has been carried out. The informal communication was carried out with employees that work with simulation projects in Siemens Plant Simulation and Visual Components. There was also a developing phase where the tasks of developing the template and the library files of these programs was done. An evaluating phase was also carried out where an experiment was done for Siemens Plant Simulation where the time difference of using the template for a real project was evaluated. The project resulted in a standardized Excel template for gathering the general information needed to build a base model of a production facility to be used in simulation and improvement projects. This Excel template was connected to the libraries that Virtual Manufacturing AB has within the programs Siemens Plant Simulation and Visual Components. These libraries were adapted to connect with the Excel template and use the information within. The file in Siemens Plant Simulation is more capable and can import the data from the template, build the base model and simulate the run of the facility with the correct properties. The file in Visual Components is only able to read the data from the template correctly, but only the test file which is not connected to the template is able to build the model. The experiment that was carried out in Siemens Plant Simulation showed a manual set-up time for the project of 15 hours, and a set-up time of 45 minutes using the template and file. This resulted in a time difference of 14 hours and 15 minutes in the set-up phase of the project in the experiment.