This article focuses on the efficient planning involved in the manufacturing plant. Factory simulation software gives a sense of whether or not such a bottleneck would occur if the factory process were laid out as planned. It extrapolates problems of a particular line layout and forecasts the costs of a problem like a bottleneck. The digital factory software allows manufacturers to simulate factory layout digitally, in order to see how the plant would function under the proposed arrangement and to realize potential problems on the line. In addition to robots, employees themselves can be represented in a digitized version. In this way, engineers can figure out where employees should stand on the line and design workstations for them to both optimize their movements and to ensure they are not under any kind of ergonomic stress. Virtual factories can be planned together by people in different locations with the help of software that allows for fly-through.
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February 2003
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Planning a Plant
A Digital Factory Runs Like a Real One, Only on a Computer.
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Mechanical Engineering. Feb 2003, 125(02): 42-45 (4 pages)
Published Online: February 1, 2003
Citation
Thilmany, J. (February 1, 2003). "Planning a Plant." ASME. Mechanical Engineering. February 2003; 125(02): 42–45. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2003-FEB-3
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