Extended Petri-net modeling for re-manufacturing line simulation

We address the problem of building, simulating and improving the performance of a remanufacturing line computer model. We present a parametric Petri net model of a remanufacturing line: places represent precedence constraints on operations, while transitions model remanufacturing operations. Basic parameters of the Petri net model are the token type (its color), the capacity of places and the priority and firing duration of transitions. We use different token colors to model the different states of a product through the test and repair loop. The capacity parameter is used to model the grouping of products into boxes, that facilitate transportation. The priority of operations is used to resolve conflicts among alternative operations. We simulate the operation of the parametric Petri net model using the software POSES++ for a semi-automated telephone remanufacturing line test case. From the simulation experiments of the case study it turns out that throughput performance is not very sensitive to the duration of testing, cleaning or packing and optimal performance can be achieved when the ratio of disassembly to reassembly duration is close to one. We extend our previous base model to also include the effects of feeding the line with new covers and electronic circuits to avoid line starvation