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Laurentiu ManiuProduct Manager
InFrame Synapse Simulation Suite
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Further Products for optimizing manufacturing
InFrame Synapse MES Production planning and control for high-tech fabrication sites
InFrame Synapse PCS Process & equipment control to improve quality and yield
InFrame Synapse Equipment Connector Powerful interface for easy connection of equipments
InFrame Synapse APS Smooth planning and allocation of manufacturing resources
AnyLogic Simulation Software Powerful simulation and modelling environment
Extended Fundamental Functions
Within the InFrame Synapse Simulation Suite the Generic Utilities library provides an extension of the general AnyLogic functionality. That means the contained elements are not domain-specific and useful in almost every discrete event model. The library comprises 40 elements that solve recurring problems regarding animation and process-centric model development. Besides that, additional comfort functions are included.
Exemplarily, the application of some library elements is subsequently explained.
Animation
The EntityRotator element allows simple implementations of customized work piece rotations. When an AnimationLocator is embedded within an active object, it can be used to determine where selected points of the active object animation are located within the overall animation. When an active object owns an AnimationPin element, the animation of another object can be shown within the active object animation.
Process-centric Model Development
With the elements Semaphore, SemaphoreIn and SemaphoreOut it is possible to define critical areas in the models in which the number of entities is limited. The definition of restricted areas is also feasible with AnyLogic standard libraries but there can just be exactly one entry to these areas. Additionally, it is required that critical areas are connected. The following picture shows a restricted area that was defined with the Generic Utilities library. It should become obvious that the above restrictions don't apply.
Critical area consisting of queuecrit1, queuecrit2, delaycrit1 und delaycrit2
When in a process-centric simulation an entity can't be accepted by a subsequent element, the simulation run is finished with an error message. This can be avoided with the use of the Switch element. An entity is just allowed to leave the port of a Switch element when the following element is able to accept it. As a result of this, "work piece jams"- that occur frequently in real life production lines - can be captured.
Comfort Functions
As the following figure points out, AnyLogic ports can be connected with lines of type Connector in order to allow entity exchange between elements.
Connector between two elements in AnyLogic
Even if the graphical way of modeling in AnyLogic is a big advantage, a large number of connections can lead to confusion in complex models. With the elements ConnectorExit and Connector Enter from the Generic Utilities library the developer obtains the opportunity to break interfering connections and thus increase the maintainability of the models.
ConnectorExit and ConnectorEnter
Experience has shown that during model development embedded objects of a certain type are sometimes owned by another element which is located above them in the model hierarchy. When an embedded object shall obtain a reference to its owner it is sufficient to include the OnwerReference element in the corresponding active object.