Reusable modeling capabilities for simulating high volume electronics manufacturing systems

This paper introduces modeling tools, developed in conjunction with personnel at Chrysler's Huntsville Electronics Division (HED), for the rapid modeling and analysis of high volume electronics production lines. The tools that are discussed include a Windows-based line definition program and static capacity evaluator with proposed links to a custom simulation package as well as the increasingly popular WITNESS and ARENA simulation products. In addition, we review a set of submodels/templates developed in WITNESS and ARENA which give the user the capability to rapidly model a line while still providing them with access to a more general simulation environment for model customization and enhancement. These tools require less familiarity with simulation constructs allowing them to be effectively used by the industrial and tooling engineers typically involved in production line design and modification.