Production Line Throughput Estimation Using Bottleneck Sublines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for estimating production line throughput are complex and time-consuming, requiring extensive simulation setup and data input, making them inefficient for practical production management.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that calculate throughput by obtaining process time and travel time parameters, identifying bottleneck stations, and calculating sub-throughput to estimate corrected process times for key stations, thereby simplifying the estimation process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If simulation method is used to estimate throughput, then estimation accuracy is improved, but configuration complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The production line is divided into multiple sublines, each containing a bottleneck work station. Throughput estimation is performed separately for each subline using simplified calculations rather than comprehensive simulation, reducing overall complexity while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottleneck work station is extracted as the key determining factor for throughput estimation. By focusing calculations on bottleneck stations and their associated sublines, the method avoids the complexity of simulating entire production lines while preserving estimation accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If simulation method is used to estimate throughput, then estimation accuracy is improved, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The production line is segmented into multiple sublines for independent throughput calculation. This allows parallel processing of calculations and avoids the time-consuming sequential simulation of entire production lines, reducing total time consumption while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
Bottleneck work stations are identified in advance, and their process time parameters are obtained beforehand. This preliminary identification enables direct calculation of throughput without requiring time-consuming simulation setup and execution.
3Measurement precision
If detailed simulation setup is performed, then estimation accuracy is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Only essential parameters (process time parameters of bottleneck work stations and travel time parameters) are extracted and used for throughput calculation. This eliminates the need for comprehensive data input required by simulation methods, greatly simplifying the operation while maintaining estimation accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The method changes from using comprehensive simulation parameters to using only critical process time parameters and travel time parameters. This parameter selection strategy simplifies data input requirements while preserving the ability to accurately estimate throughput.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for estimating throughput of a production line, the method comprising: a data obtaining step, a bottleneck work station selecting step, a first correcting step, a second correcting step as well as a throughput estimating step.