Manufacturing Layout Software enables the design of manufacturing cells and machines, complete with robotics and conveyor systems. Use this software in conjunction with Manufacturing Engineering Services to create a comprehensive solution for the design of automated production cells, engineered for your specific application.
Our Manufacturing Layout Software is a free download that allows you to create 3D designs of your plant or warehouse. Using this software, you can quickly create a layout using the AutoCAD drawing environment and plant design standards.
DESIGNING AN EFFECTIVE MANUFACTURING FACILITY LAYOUT
For most manufacturing operations the goal is relatively simple: develop a lean manufacturing system to streamline production and ensure a smooth flow of work, material, and information. In the world of manufacturing, the old adage is true: time really is money.
So, What Are The Requirements for An Effective Facility Layout?
Effective manufacturing operations should utilize space efficiently and minimize material handling costs. This includes:
- Ensuring that labor is used efficiently
- Eliminating bottlenecks
- Providing proficient communication between workers and supervisors
- Eliminating downtime
- Ensuring material/product movement is not static
- Considering flexibility for future workflow changes
There are several ways to ensure that facilities are meeting the above requirements to design an effective layout that streamlines production and promotes a lean manufacturing process. Depending on the operation, there are actually three basic facility layouts used in manufacturing, all with the objective of meeting the requirements listed above.
Basic Facility Layouts for Manufacturing
Although there are hundreds of hybrid design layouts, they are all based on three basic layout concepts intended to meet the needs of specific types of manufacturing. These layout designs consist of: Process Layout Design, Fixed-Position Layout Design, and Product Layout Design. Each type of layout has its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages, and each tends to utilize its own type of material handling set-up. In fact, material handling is an important part of all three layouts, but for the Product Layout Design approach, it is virtually imperative.
Product Layout Design
Product Layout Design is one of the most popular facility layouts in the world of manufacturing. Product Layouts (also known as assembly lines) arrange activities in a production line according to a sequence of operations that need to be performed to assemble a particular product. Product Layouts are suitable for mass production or repetitive operations in which demand is steady and volume is high. Because of this, Product Layouts are more autonomous than the other designs mentioned above. A Product Layout Design requires that materials be moved in one direction along the assembly line and always in the same pattern. The major concern for the Product Layout Design is balancing the assembly line so that no one workstation becomes a bottleneck and holds up the flow of work through the line. The advantage of the Product Layout Design is in its efficiency and ease of use. The disadvantage is in its inflexibility.
For manufacturing facilities utilizing a Product Layout Operation Design, there are ways to improve layout functionality and flexibility. A flexible manufacturing system can produce a large volume and variety of products. The emphasis is often on automation, and computers run all the machines that complete the process. Since it’s so expensive to use automated processes in a Product Layout Design, most industries can’t afford to incorporate Flexible Manufacturing Systems in the traditional sense of the word. But, there are more economic solutions for companies looking to streamline their operation and develop a flexible manufacturing facility, particularly for those following the Product Layout Design.
Some Product Layouts utilize conveyor belts as a means of material handling to ensure continuous movement of materials and products along a fixed production path. The problem with using conveyors in some applications is that they are so inflexible that processes can’t be changed or altered for future workflow. Furthermore, for most facilities utilizing the Product Layout Design, aisles are narrow and floor obstacles obstruct the flow of material on the ground. But, what if materials need to be moved in multiple directions? A fixed-production path exists under the premise that the path of production is just that: fixed. But, a fixed layout can sometimes result in bottlenecking and production downtime. One solution for increased flexibility in manufacturing, particularly for facilities utilizing a Product Layout Design, is the incorporation of an overhead monorail system. Today’s monorail systems are not only designed to move products down a fixed production path; they are also designed for increased flexibility and future workflow change.
Monorail Systems for Increased Flexibility
Depending on the needs of the specific facility, monorails can be freestanding or ceiling-mounted. If your facility is dealing with multiple overhead obstructions, a freestanding system is ideal. But, since most Product Layout manufacturing facilities are dealing with narrow aisles and floor obstructions, a ceiling-mounted monorail is the most versatile and ergonomic way of streamlining your production process and improving flexibility.
Today’s ceiling-mounted monorail systems are an economic solution for almost any Product Layout facility and an excellent alternative for work areas that can’t be serviced by bridge cranes. These include facilities with hard-to-reach locations, buildings with high ceilings, or even for areas that require great layout flexibility. Monorails are ideal for production processes that require lifting and moving product along a fixed path, such as painting processes, moving raw materials from one work cell to another, or even warehouse to warehouse transfer. But, what makes them so unique for facilities utilizing the Product Layout Design is their incredible flexibility? Unlike cranes that are fixed within one bay span, monorails can run through multiple bays and column lines on both the x and y axis. This flexibility prevents double handling of loads when paths or destinations remain constant.
Enclosed Track Monorails offer a modular design that provides increased versatility for a facility layout design that can often seem static or inflexible. These systems can provide facilities with the flexibility they’ve been lacking to ensure a comprehensive material handling solution that can grow with your future workflow needs and challenges. They can be integrated into a total system with extra track, curves, interlocks and switches. Years ago, monorails were designed for fixed path production only, but today’s monorail systems offer the flexibility to switch paths and change courses. This is imperative for manufacturing facilities in the world today, which are constantly changing to keep up with future workflow needs and the integration of new systems. Monorail systems today can even connect to conveyors, which can be imperative for many facilities using a Product Layout design with pre-existing systems.
Page Layout Program
A program that enables you to format pages of text and graphics. Many word-processing systems support their own page layout functions, but page layout applications designed specifically for this purpose generally give you more control over fine points such as text flow, kerning, and positioning of graphics.
The best desktop publishing software in 2022
01. Adobe InDesign
The best desktop publishing software overall
SPECIFICATIONS
Developer: AdobePayment model: SubscriptionSystem: Windows, MacFree trial?: 7 daysTODAY’S BEST DEALSCreative Cloud InDesign Single AppUS$20.99/mthVISIT SITEat Adobe
REASONS TO BUY
+Industry standard +Feature-rich+Integrates with Creative Cloud
REASONS TO AVOID
-Expensive
If you work in media or publishing, you’re probably already using Adobe’s InDesign. It’s the indisputable industry standard for desktop publishing, whether you’re laying out pages, designing a brochure or creating a poster. It’s perfectly suited to any design work that requires you to combine images and text.
InDesign has been the go-to software for print professionals for over a decade now. In recent years, Adobe has also added lots of useful digital publishing tools, making it a great choice for e-zines, e-books and pretty much anything else you can add an ‘e-’ to. The software is fully integrated into the Creative Cloud, making it easy to pull in Adobe Fonts, Adobe Stock images, and work you’ve created in other Adobe apps, such as Illustrator or Photoshop.
The one big downside to InDesign is that you need to pay a monthly subscription, either for the single app or as part of an All-Apps subscription to the Creative Cloud. If your company is paying for that, then no worries, of course, but if you work for yourself, you may want to investigate some of the alternative apps on this list before making your decsion.
02. Affinity Publisher
The best desktop publishing software for value
SPECIFICATIONS
Developer: SerifPayment model: One-off purchaseSystem: Windows, MacFree trial?: 90 daysTODAY’S BEST DEALSVISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Cheap +Generous free trial +Plays well with Affinity apps
REASONS TO AVOID
-Lacking some pro features
Serif’s Affinity range of apps unashamedly offers cheap, subscription-free alternatives to Adobe tools. They match most of the features of Adobe’s software while also including some of their own unique tools. Affinity Designer is, therefore, a close match for Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Photo for Photoshop and, launched in 2019, Affinity Publisher is a direct rival to Adobe InDesign.
Affinity Publisher doesn’t quite match up to InDesign’s feature set. For example, it lacks document setup presets on launch (although you can find third-party templates for this elsewhere) and the way it works with layers can take some getting used to if you’ve been using InDesign for years. But in all honesty, the differences are quite minimal, and if you’ve not spent a lifetime using InDesign, they probably won’t matter to you too much.
Crucially, Affinity Publisher allows you to work with Adobe file types, including the ability to import IMDL files, documents created in InDesign. It works on Mac and Windows, and there’s interoperability across all three Affinity apps to allow for a smooth workflow. While there’s no iPad version yet, you can open, edit and export Publisher documents in the iPad version of the other two Affinity apps. It’s well worth checking out. Given the cheap price, it may well even be worth buying it and using it alongside InDesign, as many designers say they find it faster and more efficient for particular tasks.
03. QuarkXPress
Well-established rival to InDesign
SPECIFICATIONS
Developer: QuarkPayment model: One-off purchaseSystem: Windows, MacFree trial?: 7 daysTODAY’S BEST DEALSVISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Feature rich+Works with InDesign files+Use for apps and websites
REASONS TO AVOID
-Expensive
Back in the 1990s QuarkXPress was the market leader in desktop publishing software. That was before Adobe launched InDesign at around half the price, and publishers voted for their wallets. However, Quark, as it’s often known as, is still used in many companies. Since InDesign is now subscription-only, it may be worth considering if you don’t want to pay monthly.
First launched in 1987, QuarkXPress is still being updated on an annual basis and it remains a very capable, high-end too, both for print media and digital publications. Available for PC or Mac, it can also import InDesign files and it can also now design functioning web pages and even iOS apps. It’s still not cheap, but if you want a one-off purchase, then it’s a good option.
Conclusion
Laying out a manufacturing assembly line or plant room is something every production engineer or facility manager will encounter at some point in his/her career. Try our free CAD software layout programs to see if they work for you.