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Arena Tutorial 1

Getting Arena
Up and
Running
Click for
audio
narration
2010 Mark
Polczynski
All rights reserved

Arena Tutorial 1 - Getting Arena

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A primary source
for the Arena
tutorial series.
Arena website:
http://www.arenasimulatio
n.com

Book is
optional, you
can order here.

Arena Tutorial 1 - Getting Arena

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Arena Tutorial 1 - Getting Arena

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More information available at:

program files
Rockwell software
Arena
Online Books

Mouseover for
examples

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Goals of this tutorial:

1. Introduce simple example,
2. Download and install Arena software,
3. Build a simple model.
4. Run simulation and interpret results.

Arena Tutorial 1 - Getting Arena

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Drill
Press

Rice
Rolls

We will
simulate
this process
Gizm
o

Rolls
Rice

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Rolls Rice
factory if you
mess up

Why run
simulations?
You must improve,
But you cant afford
to mess up!

Why run simulations?

Your
factory if
you mess
up

You must drive down costs without

disrupting production.
You want to simulate improvements
before actually making changes on
the shop floor.

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Queue of
waiting
gizmos

Gizmo center
hole
being drilled

Drill
Press
2

Drilled
gizmo

Gizmos
waiting to
be drilled
Gizmos sprayed with
anti-oxidant coaring
which degrades rapidly.

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Process you
will be
modeling8

Key Metrics:
1.Resource utilization = Percent of time the drill press is
drilling gizmos.
2.Queue size = Average number of gizmos sitting in queue.
3.Time in queue = Average time gizmos sit in queue.
4.Velocity = Average number of parts passing through the
queue and
drill press per hour.
5.Time in process = Average time for gizmos to pass
through the queue and the drill press.
6.Max. parts in queue = Highest number of gizmos
observed in queue.
7.Max. time in queue = Longest time that any gizmo ever
waits in queue.
8.Max. time in process = Longest time that any gizmo
1 - Getting Arena
takes to get through Arena
the Tutorial
queue
and drill press.
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Some
Entities are the things that flow through the process we are modeling.
They are the things that get worked on by the process.
modeling
Different types of entities can be flowing through the process.

terminology

Resources are the things that do the work on the entities.

Just as there can be multiple types of entities in a model, there can be
multiple types of resources.
More than one resource or one type of resource may be needed to work on
an entity.
Events are things that happen to entities as they flow through the process.
For now, we have just two events: entities arrive at a resource or its queue,
and depart from the resource after being serviced.
Attributes are characteristics that are common to all entities of the same
type.
Entities may have many different characteristics, but attributes are just the
ones that we care about in the model.
For now, our entities have just two attributes: arrival time and service time.
Variables are like attributes, except they apply to the entire process, not just
an entity type.
Sometimes variables are called global variables.
Typically, we have at least one variable: the system clock, which keeps
Tutorial 1 - Getting Arena
time while the simulationArena
is running,
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Entities
get
worked
on

Resource
s do the
work

Entity
arriving
in
queue

Some
modeling
terminology

Resour
ce
2

Entity
in
servic
e

Entity
departi
ng
process

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Some
modeling
terminology

Resour
ce
2

Entity 3:
Arrived at T =
3.79 min.
Currently in queue
Entity 3:
Arrive at T = 3.08
min.
Currently in queue

Entity 2:
Arrive at T = 1.73
min.
Currently being
Arena Tutorial
1 - Getting Arena
services
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Entity 1:
Arrived at T = 0
min.
Depart at T = 2.90
min.

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0 0. 0

Global
Variable:
Simulation
clock

Resour
ce
2

Entities in
queue

Entity in
service

Some
modeling
terminology

1
Departing
entity

Attributes:
Arrival time
=X
Service time
= X.

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Go to this web site to start downloading free student

Arena software:
http://files.rockwellautomation.com/UR/Arena12CD.zip
1. Go to this website.
2. Go here to sign up.
3. AFTER you have signed
up,
RE-paste the url in your
browser to RE-load this
page.
4. Go here to sign in
to
download the
software

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This area of the screen is

the project bar, which
shows template panels.

Some
Arena
terminolog
This area
of the
y

screen is the model

window flowchart
view
Click
OK
Modules in Basic
Process template
panel used to
build models.
This is the model window
spreadsheet view
(no spreadsheets shown
here yet)
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If you dont see the Basic Process

template
Template
Attach

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Save your model

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18

Name your model

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Drag modules
to the model

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Manually
connecting
modules.
Click
here

Connec
t

Click
here

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What do Create
and Dispose
modules do?

Source of parts
that flow into
Process 1

Gets rid of parts

that have been
processed

Create and Dispose modules represent upstream and downstream

processes.
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Add specific
information for
Create 1
module

Doubleleft click

Enter
these
values

Parts arrive one-at-atime.

First part arrives at
time = 0.
Module will create
parts until simulation
is terminated.
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Left click a module to

see a module in the
spreadsheet view.

Change module
information on
the spreadsheet
view

You can change info

for a module directly
in the spreadsheet
view.

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Change
information in
the Entity data
module screen
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Add information
for the Process 1
module

Change to:
Units =
Minutes
Minimum = 1
Value = 5
Maximum =
10
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Specify resource
used by Drilling
Center

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Meaning of
Seize Delay
Release action

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Meaning of
Seize Delay
Release action

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Finishing up
the model

Queue for
Drill Press
resource

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Determining the
timing of events in
modules.

How long
entities are
delayed

When
entities are
created
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1 x/
f ( x) e

Probability of
next part arriving
x minutes after
previous part

Some arrive
sooner than
average
You specify
average time
between
arrivals

Exponential
distribution of times
between arrivals

Some arrive
later than
average
Time
betwee
n
arrivals

x
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Triangular
distribution of delay
times
Most
likely
Delay
time
Minimu
m

Maximu
m

x
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Running the
simulation

Run the
simulatio
n

Stop the
simulatio
n

Slow down
the running
speed

Watch the parts flow

through the Drilling
Center

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NOTE!

If you get this

message,
you probably built
your model incorrectly

Arena Tutorial 3 - Assignment

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Resourc
e button

Animating
resources
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Animate
the
drill press

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Find
pictures for
drill press
busy and
idle
3. Click to use
picture

2. Select
Busy
1. Select
picture

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Animate
the
drill press

Pictures
assigned to
the drill press

Use Auto
Scale
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Placing the
animation
pictures

Position the resource icon

(not shown)
around the drilling center
and click

Animation
appears
on the model.
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True for
ALL Arena
tutorials

Check
result
s

Note!
Due to randomization
factors,
your numbers may vary.

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Viewing the
results

Note! Your numbers may vary!

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Key Metrics:
1.Resource utilization = Percent of time the drill press is
drilling gizmos.
2.Queue size = Average number of gizmos sitting in queue.
3.Time in queue = Average time gizmos sit in queue.
4.Velocity = Average number of parts passing through the
queue and
drill press per hour.
5.Time in process = Average time for gizmos to pass through
the queue and the drill press.
6.Max. parts in queue = Highest number of gizmos observed
in queue.
7.Max. time in queue = Longest time that any gizmo ever
waits in queue.
8.Max. time in process = Longest time that any gizmo takes
Arena Tutorial 1 - Getting Arena
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to get through the queue
and
drill press.
Running

1. Resource
utilization

3. Time in
queue

7. Max time in
queue

2. Queue
size

6. Max parts in
queue

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Velocity =
0.8 parts per
hour.

4. Time in
process

5. Max. time in
process

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Returning
to the
model

Getting
back to your
model

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Stop the
simulatio
n

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Goals of this tutorial:

1. Introduce simple example,
2. Download and install Arena software,
3. Build a simple model.

Modules:
Create
Process
Dispose

4. Run simulation and interpret results.

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Contact the Author:

Mark Polczynski, PhD
The Technology Forge
mhp.techforge@gmail.
com

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