Page 35 - ITAtube Journal 2/2019

Technical Papers
Capacity utilization analysis of a wheel rolling plant as part of a simulation of logistics.
The simulations can be used for a wide range of tasks: feasibility studies, identifying resource and energy saving potentials, process chain optimization and trouble shooting. Simulations are often used to nd answers to speci c questions arising in the works.
Simulation of logistics
If the task at hand is to analyze the logistics pro- cesses within a plant, tools capable of simulating the material ow are needed. In this case the sim- ulation process entails the de nition of individual events by time and distance covered, and their inter- connection via networks. The simulated period can be freely de ned. The calculation of a plant’s annual production, taking into account the product mix and the shift schedule, is a matter of minutes. In this way, bottlenecks limiting the yield can be identi- ed and optimized until, for example, the simulation results are in line with the performance data speci- ed in a plant offer. The simulation tool also allows to integrate the 3D data of the planned plant. In this way, it is possible to recognize in the realistic 3D model of a plant very early whether the planned cycle times will collide with the identi ed logistics ows. Simply put, one can watch on a monitor, pro- jection screen or via VR goggles as a product is trav- elling through all machines and process stages from A to Z and whether the process runs smoothly all the way through. Already at that stage, any problem- atic areas or bottlenecks in the production ow will
become obvious – early enough to adapt the plant layout without running into signi cant extra costs.
HIL simulations
Simulations are not only planning tools. They also render support during running operation. In this area of application, SMS group mainly uses HIL sim- ulations. HIL means ‘hardware in the loop’. In other words, here real elements, such as the automa- tion soft and hardware and the control equipment, are linked with the simulation process in order to examine and check their performance.
Mark Haverkamp explains this by way of an example from practice: “At a customer’s forging press, the spray heads for cooling the dies used to collide with the upper die. This caused the mechanical parts of spray heads to warp, causing new problems later on when the press was to be set up for a different product. The customer tried everything possible to change the set-up of the machine and made all kinds of adjustments – but without success. We recon- structed the affected components of the press in the simulation model and analyzed the processes. The simulation revealed that the collision between the die and the spray head was a matter of a fraction of a second. Based on this nding, we were able to solve the problem.“
Additively manufactured, 3D printed spray heads made of plastics or metal weigh ninety percent
ITAtube Journal No2/May 2019
35