Minimizing the Takt time (called the Type II balance) requires the user to specify the number of desired workstations. In this option, ProBalance tries to minimize the Takt time for the available list of tasks while ensuring that the precedence relationship is maintained.
Steps to create a Type II Line Balance
1. |
After defining task, resource, and model information, save the scenario and click on the "Balancing Station View" under the view option. A cell phone example scenario is provided with this manual and will be referenced in this Type I line balance section. To load this scenario data click on “File => Open Scenario” and then click Cellphone.xml. |
2. |
Next go to the Balance Station View and click on the "Auto Balance" icon in the menu bar (Figure 1). |
 Figure 1: Auto Balance icon |
3. |
Select the balance type as "Minimize Takt Time" and select Weighted Average Balance (Figure 2). |
4. |
Next provide the desired number of stations and click OK. If using the cell phone example scenario, type in 3.
Note: The user cannot specify a number higher than the number of stations defined in the station editor. In order to specify more stations, add stations in the station editor. |
 Figure 2: Auto balance screen |
5. |
The line balance graph for the cell phone example shows that a Takt time of 27.98 is needed for all tasks to be completed in 3 stations (Figure 3). Click on Edit - Takt time to represent Takt time with a line on the graph. Below the figure is a list of details to notice about the generated line balance.
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1. |
Station 1 has four tasks, which is twice the amount of tasks the station contained in the Type I example. Since the goal of a Type II line balance is to minimize the number of work stations, more tasks were assigned to each station. |
2. |
Station 2 has a monumental resource violation. Fixture02 is not available at the station ST02. The user can rebalance the line and this time check the monumental resource box to ensure no monumental resource violations occur in the generated line balance. |
6. |
As was the case with Type I line balancing, the user has the option to rebalance the line using the peak model algorithm. Please reference the Type I Balance section or the Glossary of this manual for details on the difference between weighted average and peak model. |
7. |
Users have the option to reassign work after the line balance has been generated. Reference the Reassign Work section of this manual for more details. |