FlexSim Supplemental Training: Session 3

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Modeling Concepts

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• Closing and Opening Output/Input Ports • Sending Messages to alter object

behavior

Basic Object Control• closeinput( object ) openinput( object )• stopinput( object ) resumeinput( object )• closeoutput( object ) openoutput( object )• stopoutput( object ) resumeoutput( object )• stopobject( object ) resumeobject( object )

• sendmessage( toobject, fromobject, parameter1, parameter2, parameter3 )

• senddelayedmessage( toobject, delaytime, fromobject, parameter1, parameter2, parameter3 )

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Close/Open Commands• Close

– closeinput( object ) – Blocks input ports of object. Indicated by small, red bars drawn across all input ports.

– closeoutput( object ) – Blocks output ports of object. Indicated by small, red bars drawn across all output ports.

• Open– openinput( object ) – Unblocks input ports of object.

– openoutput( object ) – Unblocks output ports of object.

– It is recommended to use the open commands in the OnMessage trigger only [using senddelayedmessage()]. It will work in other cases, but there could be issues because these commands do some work behind the scenes.

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Stop/Resume Commands• Stop

– stopinput( object ) – Same as closeinput(), except it keeps track of consecutive stopinput() commands. Will only open input ports after all stops have been resumed.

– stopoutput( object ) – Same as closeouput(), except it accumulates as well. Will only open ouput ports after all stops have been resumed.

– stopobject( object ) – Tells object to stop functioning. Will specify a state for the object to go into while waiting for resumeobject() [helpful for statistics]. Also accumulates. Good resource on stopobject() and resumeobject() in Command list of User Manual.

• Resume– resumeinput( object ) – Same as openinput(), except it accumulates. Input ports are

unblocked after all stops have been resumed.

– resumeoutput( object ) – Same as openoutput(), except it accumulates as well. Ouput ports are unblocked after all stops have been resumed.

– resumeobject( object ) – Tells object to resume to what it was doing before stopobject() was called. Also accumulates.

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Messages• message – information sent from one

object to another.• When an object receives a message, its

OnMessage trigger is fired.• Messages can be sent immediately with

the sendmessage() command, or after a specified period of time using senddelayedmessage().

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Order of Execution(Messages)

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sendmessage()

delay

OnMessagetrigger ofreceiving object

senddelayedmessage()OnMessagetrigger ofreceiving object

Is there a difference between a message sent immediately and delayed in zero time?

The OnMessage Trigger

• Trigger logic fires as a reaction to the sent message. Parsing the received data dictates behavior

• Access Variables– current– msgsendingobject()– msgparam(1)– msgparam(2)– msgparam(3)

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• Object receiving the message

• Object that sent the message

• First numeric data sent

• Second numeric data sent

• Third numeric data sent

Model Description• Purpose

– Learn how to control product flow and send delayed messages.• Description

– Assume an infinite supply of A and B components.– The two components must be glued together with epoxy which

takes lognormal2(0,2.6,0.8) seconds.– The assembled parts must wait in a staging area for at least 15

seconds for the epoxy to cure before they can enter the paint booth.

– It takes lognormal2(0,2.5,0.5) seconds to paint each part separately.

– After each part is painted and exits the paint booth, the booth must be purged for 3 seconds before another part can enter.

• Questions & Bonus– What is the average and maximum time a part waits in queue?– How does throughput change if 10 parts can be curing

simultaneously?99

Model A1 Layout

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