The Process Flow palette contains all the objects needed to create process flow type models. These models are characterized by a passive entity that is passed from one object to another following a process flow diagram. These types of models are often used to simulate a manufacturing process where the entities represent parts that are moved between processing stations. The following objects are provided in the Process Flow palette.
Process Flow Palette
Object |
Description |
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SimEntity |
The basic entity for use in a process flow type model. |
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EntityLauncher |
Creates a copy of a prototype entity when clicked by the user. |
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EntityGenerator |
Creates copies of a prototype entity at specified intervals. |
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EntitySink |
Destroys any entity it receives. |
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Server |
Processes a received entity over a specified duration. |
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Queue |
Stores received entities until they are needed. |
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EntityConveyor |
Transports a received entity along a specified path at a fixed speed. |
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EntityDelay |
Delays a received entity by a specified duration. |
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Seize |
Seizes one or more units of a Resource. |
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Release |
Releases one or more units of a Resource. |
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EntityProcessor |
Seizes one or more resources, delays the received entity by a specified duration, and releases the resources. |
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Assign |
Assigns new values to attributes. |
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Branch |
Directs a received entity to a selected destination. |
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Duplicate |
Sends copies of the received entity to a set of destinations. |
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Combine |
Matches entities from multiple queues. The entity from the first queue is passed on while the other entities are destroyed. |
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SetGraphics |
Changes the appearance of the received entity. |
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EntityGate |
Blocks received entities from progressing further until the EntityGate is opened by one or more Thresholds. |
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EntitySignal |
Opens or closes a specified SignalThreshold when an entity is received. |
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SignalThreshold |
Threshold that is opened and closed directly by an EntitySignal object. |
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Assemble |
Combines sub-components to create an assembled part. |
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EntityContainer |
An entity that can hold one or more entities. |
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Pack |
Inserts entities in a new EntityContainer. |
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Unpack |
Removes all the entities from an EntityContainer which is subsequently destroyed. |
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AddTo |
Add entities to an existing EntityContainer. |
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RemoveFrom |
Removes some or all of the entities from an EntityContainer. |
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EntityLogger |
Records the outputs and state data for a generated entity in an output log. |
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Statistics |
Collects statistics from the received entities. |
Many of the objects in the Process Flow palette provide the following outputs.
LinkedComponent Outputs
Output Name |
Description |
obj |
The entity that was received most recently. |
NumberAdded |
The number of entities received from upstream after the initialization period. |
NumberProcessed |
The number of entities processed by this component after the initialization period. |
NumberInProgress |
The number of entities that have been received but whose processing has not been completed yet. |
ProcessingRate |
The number of entities processed per unit time by this component after the initialization period. |
ReleaseTime |
The time at which the last entity was released. |