Product category:
Analysis, simulation and mathematical software
News Release from: Delmia | Subject: Car production system simulation
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 06 September 2001
Simulation to cope with cellular
assembly design
Warwick Manufacturing Group have adopted DELMIA's QUEST to apply 3D discrete event simulation to cope with the myriad variables in the multi-model matrix of cells approach to car production.
Trying to anticipate demand for a car that hasn't even been made yet is an unenviable task, yet it is an exercise that the major car manufacturers face each year Linked to this decision is expenditure on millions of pounds worth of plant
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 7 May 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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While production capacity is always static, demand is fluid.
Figures show that the period over which production lines operate at capacity is very small, and that an average plant's lifetime utilisation can be as low as 50%.
Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), part of the School of Engineering within The University of Warwick, is performing a one year feasibility study at the behest of the DTI.
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The themes of commonality and Design for Assembly, which have already been adopted by such manufacturers as Ford, have been taken further than ever before in The Responsive Automotive Manufacturing Plant (RAMP).
This study is now moving onto the next phase, in the form of a three year research project with some of the major UK vehicle producers.
Ian Pearson, Senior Research Fellow in WMG, explained: "Rather than basing the manufacturing facility on a single model line based design, as introduced by Henry Ford, we have opted for a multi-model matrix of cells.
This is a radical concept for the automotive industry, despite being common in other areas of manufacturing.
The benefits of such a system stem from the ability to take individual cells out of production and modify them to suit current needs.
Extra cells can also be added or deleted to account for variations in sales volumes.
This leads to higher utilisation of the overall facility.
"Wonderful as it appears for car manufacturers to get maximum return on their investment for the lifecycle of all their models, our modular construction solution can soon get extremely complex.
3D discrete event simulation is the only way to cope with the myriad variables, so we have adopted DELMIA's QUEST.
This system's in-built logic minimises capital cost by maximising utilisation.
Bottlenecks caused by equipment breakdown no longer happen within our virtual plant, as the system simply re-routes within the matrix.
Using QUEST, we have shown that 12 different models can be simultaneously manufactured by the same jigs and robots and this number can be increased if required.
Certainly, implementing the system would be expensive, but then car manufacturers face enormous expense creating a new manufacturing line each time a new model is introduced." Philosophically, both Design for Assembly and Design for Facility have to be wholeheartedly embraced for RAMP to work as envisaged.
An illustration of the former is assembling a vehicle's interior prior to attaching the roof, allowing far easier access.
This can be achieved by using processes which are already available, while also limiting the requisite tooling modifications.
QUEST makes it clear which cells are in the highest demand, and these can then be duplicated.
Subassemblies are kitted up onto tooling pallets and routed through the various cells.
All parts of the facility, cells, tooling pallets and so on, are modular and easily reconfigurable.
RAMP benefits are: * Cells can be modified without stopping production.
* Prototypes can be built through a production facility.
* Model run-outs can be long, as they do not stop other production.
* Line balancing becomes less important.
* Extensive variation between models can be achieved.
* New vehicle concepts can be tried cheaply.
Incorporating Virtual Reality and 3D graphics, QUEST is an interactive tool which allows the user to quickly produce textured, high quality models for both commerce and manufacturing applications.
QUEST integrates with all the other DELMIA products, so it is possible to create an interactive, virtual factory where machinery, robots and people are simulated to provide a total managerial solution, giving answers on everything from ergonomics to production planning.
DELMIA develops e-business solutions for manufacturing by implementing a process-centric solution to plan, define, monitor and control production systems from single device workcell, production line, factory material flow to extended enterprise production flow.
DELMIA serves industry segments where continuous transformation and optimisation of the manufacturing processes are critical, such as: Automotive, Aerospace, Fabrication and Assembly, Electrical and Electronics, Consumer Goods, Plant and Shipbuilding.
DELMIA solutions are interoperable with major CAD, PDM and ERP systems.
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