Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
In this video, we're going to show you the importance of port connection rankings, and
how to view and change these rankings. Let's quickly create a model. Drag out two
sources, a combiner, a queue, a separator, two conveyors, and a sink. For now, connect
only the combiner, queue and separator, and also the two conveyors to the sink. Double-click
on Source1 to open its properties window, and select "Pallet" from the FlowItem Class
drop-down menu, then click OK to save and close the window.
The combiner requires that the object connected to its first input port provides the containers
that any additional items are packed into; this is why we changed the items produced
by Source1 to be pallets, so all of our items can be packed on a pallet. Connect Source1
to the combiner, and then connect Source2 to the combiner.
The same rule applies with the separator. By default, the items that other items are
being packed onto will exit through output port 1, so connect the separator first to
Conveyor6 and then to Conveyor7. Because it was connected first, Conveyor6 will transport
the pallets to the sink. If we run the model right now, boxes will
be packed onto pallets, which come from input port 1. These packs are queued and then separated,
with the pallets leaving through output port 1.
So how do we know which port is which? The easiest way is to observe the red and green
arrows that appear to the left and right of each object. Arrows that point toward the
object represent input ports, where items are being introduced to the object. Arrows
that point away from the object represent output ports, where items leave the object.
The topmost arrow is the first port connection, so if you follow the black line from the arrow,
it will lead you to the object that owns that connection. Additional arrows underneath this
topmost arrow are the other connections in descending order, from the second to the third
and so on. So what if you want to change the connection
order? You could delete and then remake connections, but there is an easier way. Open the properties
window of the object that needs its connection ranking changed, and go to the "General" tab.
At the bottom, you'll see a section called "Ports", which will show you the connection
order for Input, Central, and Output ports. It'll give you the names of the objects connected,
and you can simply click the rank adjustment buttons to increase or decrease the connection
order of each object. Thank you for watching. For more information
on FlexSim products or to view more tips and tricks for successful modeling, please visit
www.flexsim.com.