LineSim.XLS A Serial Factory Simulator on a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet
by John O. McClain    Links: [ Free Software | John McClain's Page | Errors ]   03 February 2008

The example model below consists of three machines, Joe, Next, and M3. This program models only serial lines, so Joe's output is Next's input, by way of the storage area Joe's. The length of the line is easily changed, as are processing time, machine failure, and storage capacity characteristics. (See CellSim for a more general simulation.)

The simulation is executed on worksheet "Run", shown below. Explanations are given on a sheet named "Instructions". Two worksheets display results of the latest run and cumulative results. Detailed output and some standard graphs are available on additional sheets. Of course, all of Excel's functions and graphs may be used to summarize and analyze the results.

This is a very simple factory simulator, intended for teaching purposes. You are welcome to use it in any manner, and change it as you see fit. This model comes without any guarantee whatsoever, and is distributed free of charge. It is based on ideas first developed at Cornell in the factory simulation program known as XCELL+, written by Richard Conway, William L. Maxwell and Steven L. Worona, with minor help from me. XCELL+ was the first simulation package with a graphical user interface, and appeared in the early 1980s when even the PC was a new idea.

Click Here to download a copy of the Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet.

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If LineSim.xls Doesn't Work:
Some users find that the buttons in LineSim.xls do not work.
If this happens, your file contains a sheet named “Warning” on which you will find instructions about what to do.

Back to: [ Free Software | John McClain's Page ]

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