An Approach to Automating the Generation of Process Simulation Sequences

Simulations play a crucial role in the (re)design of manufacturing processes, serving as virtual testing grounds. Specific simulations are used to describe different parts of production processes and the associated production systems. Often a single simulation alone is not sufficient to test specific process settings, but a combination of several simulations is needed. One simulation may require input parameters that are other simulations’ outputs. This means that oftentimes simulation sequences are necessary to answer specific questions.The manual planning of these sequences causes high efforts because factors such as time, cost and quality must be taken into account when selecting the optimal simulation scenario. This paper identifies and discusses challenges involved in creating simulation sequences. Moreover, it identifies the requirements for the implementation of a concept for the automated generation of such sequences. Additionally, an initial draft of the concept is presented.