The Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory (MEL) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has recently initiated the National Advanced Manufacturing Testbed (NAMT). This is a testbed to demonstrate how machines, software, and people can be efficiently and effectively networked together to improve productivity and foster innovation at all levels of a manufacturing enterprise. "...

One of the most widespread techniques to evaluate various aspects of an existing manufacturing system is discrete-event simulation (DES). However, building a simulation model of a manufacturing system needs great resource expenditures. Automated data collection and model buildup can drastically reduce the time of the design phase as well as support model reusability. Since most of the manufactu...

Systems simulation modeling techniques offer a method of representing the individual elements of a manufacturing system and their interactions. By developing and experimenting with simulation models, one can obtain a better understanding of the overall physical system. Forest products industries are beginning to understand the importance of simulation modeling to help improve the dynamic perfor...

We introduce a methodology for automated production planning of semiconductor manufacturing based on iterative linear programming (LP) optimization and discrete-event simulation calculations. The LP formulation incorporates epochdependent parameters for flow times from lot release up to each operation on each manufacturing route. LP-derived release schedules are used as input to the simulation ...

Managers of hardwood processing facilities need timely information on which to base important decisions such as when to add costly equipment or how to improve profitability subject to time-varying demands. The overall purpose of this paper is to introduce a tool that can effectively provide such timely information. A simulation/animation modeling procedure is described for hardwood products man...

In this paper, we present a new application of Discrete-Event Simulation as a forecasting tool for the decision support of the production activity control of a complex manufacturing system. The specificity of such an application of simulation is the short term of the forecasts. This specificity implies that the initial state of the simulation takes into account the actual state of the system. A...

This chapter describes the application of the RAP/AOR methodology proposed by Taveter and Wagner (2005, 2006) to the modeling and simulation of a real ceramics factory. The chapter addresses the modeling of the ceramics factory from the interaction, information, and behavior aspects of the methodology. The chapter also discusses the simulation of the manufacturing processes of the ceramics fact...

This paper deals with the use of online simulation on Holonic Manufacturing Systems. Concepts needed for the use of online simulation in a classical hierarchical system were already defined, the observer being the central one. The behavior’s differences between both classes of systems are studied to determine the best way to adapt these concepts to this new environment. In the PROSA reference a...

We present a panel session on the role of simulation in improving semiconductor fab operations. The participants include three principal investigators (PIs) from the recently awarded three-year, $1.2 million contracts sponsored jointly by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) on Operational Methods in Semiconductor Manufacturing; the Factory Scie...

This paper reports the results of a review of simulation applications published within peer-reviewed literature between 1997 and 2006 to provide an up-to-date picture of the role of simulation techniques within manufacturing and business. The review is characterised by three factors: wide coverage, broad scope of the simulation techniques, and a focus on real-world applications. A structured me...