Use an Inter-Arrival Source activity to create tokens within your model.
Tutorial resources
These downloadable resources will be used to complete this tutorial:
Transcript
00:03
In FlexSim, most process flows begin with the creation of tokens,
00:07
which are used to represent physical or abstract items flowing through a model.
00:12
This involves setting the arrival method to control when and how they enter your process flow.
00:17
The Inter-Arrival Source activity is one of four token creation methods and involves specifying an amount of time,
00:24
or interval, between token arrivals.
00:27
Typically, you select an arrival source in your Library, add it to your ProcessFlow,
00:33
and then edit the Quick Properties to meet the needs of your model.
00:36
In this case, a process container is already set up in the ProcessFlow with an Inter-Arrival Source included.
00:43
In this case, click the Inter-Arrival Source to open the Quick Properties.
00:48
Here, in the Inter-Arrivaltime field, you can include a fixed number to set an exact interval of time between token creations,
00:56
or you can use a statistical distribution to randomly calculate the time between token arrivals.
01:02
In this example, a triangular distribution is used, with a minimum of 3, a maximum of 6, and a mode of 4.
01:12
The unit for all of these is minutes, which is visible next to this field.
01:17
A token name of “Inter-Arrival” is also included here.
01:21
Close the Properties dialog.
01:23
Click Reset, and then click Run to view the simulation in action.
01:29
In this case, the simulation is set to an accelerated speed.
01:33
Watch as it fills out the histogram on the Dashboard with the minimum of 3 and maximum of 6,
01:39
as well as the mode, which is building around 4 minutes.
01:43
The longer you run this simulation, the more prominent the mode becomes.
01:47
Now that you know how to use the Inter-Arrival Source activity to create new tokens according to a specific interval,
01:54
take some time to review the remaining token creation methods, so that you can select the best method for your model.
00:03
In FlexSim, most process flows begin with the creation of tokens,
00:07
which are used to represent physical or abstract items flowing through a model.
00:12
This involves setting the arrival method to control when and how they enter your process flow.
00:17
The Inter-Arrival Source activity is one of four token creation methods and involves specifying an amount of time,
00:24
or interval, between token arrivals.
00:27
Typically, you select an arrival source in your Library, add it to your ProcessFlow,
00:33
and then edit the Quick Properties to meet the needs of your model.
00:36
In this case, a process container is already set up in the ProcessFlow with an Inter-Arrival Source included.
00:43
In this case, click the Inter-Arrival Source to open the Quick Properties.
00:48
Here, in the Inter-Arrivaltime field, you can include a fixed number to set an exact interval of time between token creations,
00:56
or you can use a statistical distribution to randomly calculate the time between token arrivals.
01:02
In this example, a triangular distribution is used, with a minimum of 3, a maximum of 6, and a mode of 4.
01:12
The unit for all of these is minutes, which is visible next to this field.
01:17
A token name of “Inter-Arrival” is also included here.
01:21
Close the Properties dialog.
01:23
Click Reset, and then click Run to view the simulation in action.
01:29
In this case, the simulation is set to an accelerated speed.
01:33
Watch as it fills out the histogram on the Dashboard with the minimum of 3 and maximum of 6,
01:39
as well as the mode, which is building around 4 minutes.
01:43
The longer you run this simulation, the more prominent the mode becomes.
01:47
Now that you know how to use the Inter-Arrival Source activity to create new tokens according to a specific interval,
01:54
take some time to review the remaining token creation methods, so that you can select the best method for your model.
