Discrete event simulation and production system design for Rockwell hardness test blocks

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2009.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 41).The research focuses on increasing production volume and decreasing costs at a hardness test block manufacturer. A discrete event simulation model is created to investigate potential system wide improvements. Using the results from the simulation a production work-cell is proposed that will allow a single worker to operate 7 machines at a rate that exceeds existing production rates. This results in the workforce being reduced by a factor of four while reducing product lead-time by 30% and increasing throughput by 50%.by David Eliot Scheinman.M.Eng