For this you should gone through in the ARENA help section.

Hi Allyson,

I recommend you to use 4 Create blocks, one for each product type. By doing that, you can adjust the rate for each one and assign the product type by Assign module. Then connect the output of the four Assign modules with the first queue or process after that based on your model.

To see an example, which I am quite sure it is very helpful, you can find the attached part of chapter 4 in Kelton Simulation with ARENA book. You will find a direct, step-by-step, and a typical example for that you want to do.

For the second question: in create module you will find "Entities per Arrival" input box. I think you can use this box to define the required number of entities per arrival. If this number is deterministic, so it is a just interring the number. if it is a stochastic, I think you may define a general stochastic variable based on the distribution of the number of entities per arrival. Then just put the name of this variable in the box.

Hopefully, my answer and the attached file will be helpful for you..

Best,

Zak

By the way Allyson, for the second question, I think you can try to put the distribution directly. For example, if the number of entities per arrival varies according to Triangular distribution (20,25,30), so you can enter in the entry box TRIA(20,25,30). Just try this.

Best,

Zak

If you know the frequency of your product types, you can use the discret probability in the Assign-Modle to generate your product types according to the frequency, e.g. 20% type 1, 30% type 2, 35% type 3 and 10% type 4 ---> DISC(0.2,1,0.5,2,0.85,3,1.0,4).

The Create-Module defines the time between two successive jobs. Orders are generated regardless of the product type. If several products are generated per order, you can specify a fixed number or any distribution (e.g. UNIF (1 , 100)...use Build Expression / Random Distributions to create any kind of distribution) of the products to be generated per order in the "Entities per Arrival" field. (see attached file).

Another possibility to create different product types is the use of multiple Create-Modules. Therefore, the inter-arrival time per product type must be known.

Under this link you will an example that could help you:

C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Rockwell Software\Arena\Examples\Flexible Manufacturing Cell

Best,

Bernhard

Hello Zakaria Yahia ,

You recommended to add 4 "create blocks" to bypass the problem of assigning a new entity type to each order. Indeed, that's the easiest way in this case. But how to do when you have 400 different entity types ? You can't add 400 "create blocks" !

Do you have an other solution ?

Thanks a lot !

Hello Antoine André

I will check and comeback to you ASAP.

Kind Regards,

Zak

Antoine André, you're right there is a better way. You have to use the "Set" table in the basic process blocks. There you've to create one entry with the following values: {Name: "your entity name", Type:"Entity Type"(from the dropdown menu), members: "add the names of types of your entity types in the table"}

Now go to the flowchart panel and place "Assign" after the "Create" block and connect them.

Now edit the Assign property to add 2 assignments:

1. {Type: Attribute(from the dropdown), Attribute Name:"pointer",New value:"your probability distribution for the types"}

2. {Type: Other(from the dropdown), Other:Entity.Type,New Value:"your entity name(pointer)"}

* "Entity.Type" and "Entity.Picture" are keywords in Arena

if you want to change the picture of the types you can add "Entity.Picture" in the assign module and add a row of "your entity colour" in the set table.

Indeed "Set" table is a convenient way to do that.

Muhammed Sunij Shiyarkhan thank you !