A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Advanced Technologies

Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1997

Prominent in the list of disadvantages in using simulation are cost and development time. A simulation model may become expensive in terms of manpower, computer time and tool used. Extensive development time may also be encountered since most simulation models are large and complicated. However, incorporating principles of flexibility and reusability may help every model builder leverage the time spent on model development. But looking at the present medium where simulation is built, it is difficult to develop flexible simulation. The environment limits the reuse of model to few users due to non-portability across different computer platforms. On the other hand, with the advent of the web that encourages the reuse of objects within simulation models, this provides a solution to development time and cost reduction. This study explores the possibility of that concept by integrating Web and the field of simulation, focusing on its effect on model development, distribution, analysis and training within the context of manufacturing system application. Implementing web-based simulation by building SimProd, a web-based simulation library for simulating manufacturing system. Although the result shows that web-based simulators are inherently slow compare to native application, being more reliable, reusable, inter-operable and platform independent makes it an attractive option for simulating in the manufacturing environment.