2023 Update 1 Features

Here are the features and improvements you’ll discover in FlexSim 2023 Update 1.

We’ve added some exciting new functionality to the mass flow conveyor. There are new Width Rules that determine the simulated width of the conveyor, and we have detailed documentation for how each rule affects the conveyor’s behavior. Connecting two mass flow conveyor segments using a standard or A connection will create Mass Flow Transfers on the segments, which allow you to specify a conversion between two different units when entities flow through the transfer.

We’ve also added calculator buttons to help you calculate values like conveyor width, speed, and max flow rate if you already know two values. And visually, the mass flow conveyor has never looked better—the new Randomized Fill Order in the Mass Flow Units properties adds some visual realism as the product accumulates. If you haven’t used this object yet, now is the perfect time to start—it’s excellent for models involving bottling, canning, food production, or anything with the movement of bulk materials.

There’s a new packing method for Pallet Stacking. This method will adjust the pallet’s bounding box as items are packed. When you query for space in a warehouse, for example, it will consider the size of the pallet with everything loaded on it.

Our new Table Validation tool allows you to add rules and constraints to search through data in a global table and shows any table errors and which rules were violated. There are many pre-built constraints, and it comes with a Table Validation API.

We’ve added a new processor shape, the Workbench. You can choose this shape by clicking on Processor in the 3D Object Library and selecting it from the menu. In Process Flow, we’ve added support for our tried-and-true A connect hotkey—A connect from a Process Flow activity to quickly create and connect new activities and watch as the arrow direction dynamically changes based on your mouse position.

There are other exciting improvements and enhancements, too—so check the release notes for more details. Thanks for watching, and we hope you enjoy FlexSim 2023 Update 1!