Layout-Building Tutorials

These tutorials take one custom assembly line from a blank floor plan to a tested redesign. Complete them in order for a guided introduction, or open the page that matches your current task.

Tutorial path

  1. Create a Complete Layout — build and run a Source → Machine → Buffer → Machine → Sink system.
  2. Plan Coordinates and Clearance — translate a floor plan into valid bottom-left coordinates and footprints.
  3. Routes and Material Handling — connect every route segment with a Worker, Forklift, or AGV and extend the model to multiple products.
  4. Run, Analyze, and Redesign — inspect KPIs and plots, copy a baseline, move equipment, compare scenarios, and save the configuration.

Before writing code

Prepare this information for your facility:

Input Example
Plant boundary 145 ft × 60 ft
Component footprints Cutting: 12 ft × 10 ft
Bottom-left coordinates Cutting: (30, 25)
Product process sequence Receiving → Cutting → Buffer → Assembly → Shipping
Arrival and process times 75 seconds between parts; 55 seconds at Cutting
Handling method by segment AGV for all four moves
Experiment duration 3,600 seconds of scheduled arrivals

Use one unit system consistently: feet, seconds, and feet per second. Name components by their real function, keep names unique within a Plant, and validate before running.

Finished-model checklist

  • Every footprint is inside the plant boundary.
  • Every pair of stationary footprints has the required clearance.
  • Every Product starts at a Source and eventually reaches a Sink.
  • Every consecutive route pair has one directed plant.connect(...) assignment.
  • Every manual handler has the "transport" skill.
  • Every Forklift has a driver; every AGV is connected without a Worker.
  • plant.validate() passes before simulation.
  • Baseline and redesign use the same duration and seed.

The complete runnable file is examples/custom_layout.py.