Plant Simulation SDX Interface

Plant Simulation SDX is part of the Tecnomatix Factory Layout Simulation solution. This solution enables you to combine factory layout design and production simulation to accelerate factory planning and improve throughput performance. Factory Layout Simulation is comprised of three capabilities, including:

• FactoryCAD, a 3D factory layout tool you can use to create detailed, intelligent factory models

 • Plant Simulation, a throughput simulation tool you use to model, simulate, visualize and optimize your factory’s production systems

• SDX, a standard simulation data exchange capability that enables your integrated environment to exchange CAD layout and simulation-relevant data in a common XML format.

Meeting today’s factory planning challenges

Traditionally, layout design and production simulation teams functioned in completely different operational “islands”. Simulation experts often spend a considerable time replicating layout information in the simulation environment before actually modeling its logic. Factory Layout Simulation integrates the workflow between factory layout and production simulation. The solution leverages the Simulation Data Exchange (SDX) standard to facilitate communications between the FactoryCAD software that factory layout planners employ and the Plant Simulation software used by simulation experts. The solution enables both disciplines working together to automatically generate a simulation model from the 3D FactoryCAD layout data, then visualize, evaluate and optimize the factory’s production system. Subsequently, simulation experts can introduce production changes into this environment to make additional simulation runs against the factory layout. Similarly, when layout planners make layout changes, existing simulation models can be automatically updated. Three key capabilities distinguish the Factory Layout Simulation solution.

FactoryCAD

FactoryCAD is a 3D factory layout tool that enables your layout planners to create detailed, intelligent 3D factory models. FactoryCAD provides all of the capabilities needed to create an entire 3D model, including equipment symbols, block management, optimized layer management tools and “smart factory” objects. Planners use smart objects to represent floor and overhead conveyors, mezzanines, cranes, operators and material handling containers, along with other factory equipment. These objects allow you to snap together a 3D layout model without wasting time drawing the equipment. FactoryCAD lets you bring product data, tooling data and plant data into one cohesive, associative environment. Your company can synchronize its product design and manufacturing planning processes to design your products with an eye to the constraints of production. This approach enables you to avoid the costly delays associated with unnecessary design revision and assembly change.

Plant Simulation

Plant Simulation enables simulation experts to model, simulate, visualize and optimize your factory’s production systems and logistic processes. You can use Plant Simulation to optimize the flow of material, throughput, resource utilization and logistics for all levels of plant planning from global production facilities to specific lines. Extensive analysis tools, statistics and charts enable you to evaluate different manufacturing scenarios and to make fast and reliable decisions during the early stages of production planning.

SDX

The solution’s SDX capabilities, which you leverage to integrate FactoryCAD and Plant Simulation into a common environment, facilitate a fast and easy-to-use layout/simulation process. To take advantage of this integrated environment, you first develop the layout in FactoryCAD and then add appropriate simulation-related information (such as availability and cycles) to the equipment objects in the layout. You can enter the simulation data manually or import it into the layout via default data files.Once this is complete, you can define the layout’s part routing. When that step is complete, you can initiate data export through the FactoryCAD user interface with a single click. This action packages all of the layout and simulation-relevant data along with the routing data into the SDX format and feeds it to Plant Simulation. At this point, you can:

• Automatically generate or update a simulation model, visualizing the production system on the layout background

• Add more information such as transport systems/logistics and control logic

• Run simulations, compare different scenarios and optimize the production system

• View the simulation results and recommendations in an HTML report