Apply calculations, constraints, and exceptions to partitions in a zone

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In FlexSim, partitions allow you to specify how tokens in a zone are divided,

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allowing you to track and analyze tokens by a mutually exclusive property, such as the item type.

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Additionally, you can apply a calculation, constraint, or exception to a partition

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to further control or analyze tokens within your process flow.

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In this example, a simple process flow and dashboard are already set up.

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Tokens enter the flow, receive a weight label, and then flow into the zone based on specific criteria.

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The Zone is currently set up with a partition by Type.

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To apply a calculation to the partition, select the Zone, and in Properties, click More Properties.

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Then, in the Zone Properties dialog, click the Partitions tab.

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Add a new calculation.

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For this example, enter “Total Weight” for the Calculation name, and “Weight” for the Label/expression.

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This calculates the total weight of each partition in the Zone.

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Click Apply, and then OK.

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Run the model, then stop and select the Zone, and then in Properties, click View Status.

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In the Zone Status dialog, select the Partitions tab to see that the Total Weight displays for each of the partitions.

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There is currently 12.21 pounds of total weight for all Type 3 tokens in the Zone, with an average of 9.59 pounds.

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Reset the simulation.

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To apply a constraint to the partition, open the Zone Properties again, and this time, select the Partition Constraints tab.

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Add a new calculation.

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For the Calculation, select Number of Tokens, and then apply a Limit of 3.

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This means that only three tokens of each type can enter the Zone at a time.

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Next, Add a new calculation, and set it so that the Total Weight for each partition is less than or equal to 20 pounds.

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Notice that partitions can include Exceptions, which is one of the advantages of using them over subsets.

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Here, Add an Exception for Partition 2, with a Limit of 2.

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Now, three tokens of each type can enter the Zone, except for Type 2, which is limited to only two tokens.

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In this case, Delete the Exception.

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Partition calculations and constraints operate similarly to Subset calculations and constraints.

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In this example, Type is used as a Partition, however, there are many properties that you can use to partition your Zone.

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As an example, you could partition parts by the Operator assigned to process the part.

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When using partitions, notice that there are separate charts for partition statistics in the Zone library.

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Here, select Zone Partitions Statistics > Bar Chart.

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Then, from Properties, sample the Zone.

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Expand the Statistic drop-down to select from the available Partition statistics.

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In this case, select Partition Content.

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Deselect Minimum, and then Run the model.

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On the Dashboard,

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you can see the Zone Partition Statistics that represent the Current, Maximum, and Average tokens in the Zone for each Type.

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As you can see here, the Zone Partition Statistics operate similarly to the standard Zone Statistics,

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but the data is broken out by partition.