Generating Simulation Models from CAD-Based Facility Layouts

The latest advances in industry have been boosted by the application of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), which is being supported by the implementation of Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS). In this context, simulation and optimization models have, for some time now, been used to reduce CPPS design complexity, implementation time, and operating costs throughout its life cycle. Considering the complexity and heterogeneity of CPPS components and their different application areas within the manufacturing context, simulation models may contain unreliable representation of the real system, since the behavior of the CPPS in a physical environment can be quite different from the same CPPS, specified in a simulation model, considering the same events. Thus, facing this inherent difficulty in reliably modeling a CPPS in a virtual environment, the authors propose a tool Layout CAD Interface, which enables simulation modeling software with automatic generation capabilities of discrete-event simulation models. The tackled simulation software was Simio, and the generation of simulation models was based on Computer-Aided Design (CAD) files referring to shop-floor layouts. Keywords–Cyber-Physical Production System; Simulation; Simio; CAD.