Applied Materials dimension factory simulation

Applied Materials launched a CMP Manufacturing Line Process in 2020. Due to the complex nature of the process and the investment need, the company must be careful when they want to implement changes in their system. Discrete Event Simulation Models offer the possibility to test hypotheses in a virtual environment before implementing them in real life. In this document, we created a discrete-event simulation to model the CMP manufacturing line using the modeling tool FlexSim. During the model building process, the most crucial aspect was implementing the process times for printing and metrology tasks, the personnel’s timetable, and the logic handling printing and metrology tasks. We used the model to evaluate the utilization rates of the equipment at the baseline level and when we double the capacity. In addition, we observe the system's behavior for different throughput targets under different shift systems. We concluded that different shift systems lead to increased production; however, this must be balanced with the increased system stay time. Finally, we observed the effect of increasing the number of printers in use for different production levels.