๐งช [Challenge #01] Your First Simulation – Build a Simple Process and Analyze Throughput
From building a linear process to setting processing times and interpreting simulation results – this is your first hands-on Plant Simulation challenge!
๐ง Scenario Overview
This entry-level challenge is designed for beginners in Siemens Plant Simulation.
You will:
- Build a simple serial process line
- Define each process's processing time
- Run the simulation and analyze:
- Total production output
- Bottlenecks
๐๏ธ Process Layout
[Source] → [Proc_A] → [Proc_B] → [Proc_C] → [Proc_D] → [Drain]
- A total of 4 serial processes make up the production line.
- Each process has 1 machine.
๐ฏ Challenge Goals
ItemDetails
| Working Time | 8 hours = 28,800 seconds (08:00:00) |
| Processing Time | Manually enter values per process |
| Simulation Goal | Check total output + analyze bottlenecks |
| Key Metrics | Output count, Utilization, Idle, Blocking |
๐ Simulation Guide
1) Open Plant Simulation
Open your Siemens Plant Simulation environment and create a new model.
2) Place objects in the following order:
Source → Proc_A → Proc_B → Proc_C → Proc_D → Drain
3) Set the following Processing Times:
ProcessTime (seconds)
| Proc_A | 50 sec |
| Proc_B | 55 sec |
| Proc_C | 60 sec |
| Proc_D | 45 sec |
4) Set Simulation Time: 28,800 seconds (8 hours)
5) After running the simulation, check the following:
- Total number of parts that reached Drain
- Utilization of each process
- Blocking or Starving occurrences
- Identify the bottleneck process (the most loaded one)
๐ Key Points
- To achieve 500 units per day, your average cycle time must be ≤ 57.6 sec
- If there's even one bottleneck, it may be impossible to reach the goal
- What happens if you reduce Proc_C’s processing time?
- Just 1 second of change can dramatically affect throughput
โ Final Checklist
TaskDone
| Model layout complete (Source to Drain) | โ |
| Processing times entered | โ |
| Simulation executed | โ |
| Output confirmed | โ |
| Bottleneck analyzed | โ |
๐ฌ What’s Next?
On Friday, we’ll release
๐ [Challenge #01 – Solution Guide]
It will include:
- Ideas for optimizing cycle time
- How to improve bottleneck performance
- Tips to increase total throughput