Throughput performance analysis and machine layout for discrete-space closed-loop conveyors

In this paper we analyze the performance of discrete-space, fixed-window, closed-loop conveyors. Given the job flow and routing data as well as the configuration of the loop, we first derive the stability condition for the conveyor system. We then address the layout of the stations around the loop. We examine basic tradeoffs with respect to throughput capacity versus the expected Work-In-Process (WIP) on the conveyor for alternative layouts. We show that a layout that minimizes the expected WIP on the conveyor is not, in general, the optimum layout for maximizing the throughput capacity of the system. Last, we discuss the relation between certain conveyor parameters (such as speed and loop length) and system performance.