Cut-to-size plants with sorting and stacking solutions are very complex machines. Parallel material movements, buffer-areas and a large number of parallel running movements characterise a complex plant. Additionally, a variety of different pieces can be produced on these plants and therefore there are an endless number of possible combinations with the cut-to-size patterns. The chronological behaviour and ultimately the assured accurate preview of the production capacity can only be guaranteed with a simulation tool.
Schelling Anlagenbau has developed just such a simulation tool, which allows the producer to preview & simulate every customized plant operation.With the simulation tool, whilst still in the project development stages, it is possible to provide an precise forecast of the production capacity achievable for every plant. Resulting in minimal cost of investment and guaranteeing absolute decision assurance!
Production Capacity
The production capacity or the cycle time of a tool produced lot is an important parameter of a plant. With the simulation tool, we have for example,the opportunity to view exactly when the first raw-board of a stack is loaded in the in-feed area and at what point of time the last format of the same lot of production is stacked onto its place by the stacking unit.
Interface Analysis
Plants rarely operate in isolation, as they stand in, most cases, in direct connection with other machines. The chronological view of the interfaces is therefore of highest importance. The following interfaces are of interest:
- Loading cycles of the raw-board in the in-feed area
- Unloading cycles of rest-stacks in the in-feed area
- Unloading cycles of protection boards in the in-feed area
- Loading cycles of the protection boards in the stacking station
- Unloading cycles of the finished format stacks in the stacking station
Furthermore, the simulation tool can also include a timescale for manual irregularities in the stacking station as far as this is required.
Bottleneck and Utilisation Analysis
Bottleneck and utilisation analysis are very important tools for the product developers of a plant. With the simulation tool, a variety of production scenarios can be accurately analysed, without the need to drive a single board through the actual plant. This saves an incredible amount of time in plant optimisation and in the later realisation secures a short start-up time of the plant. |
