Apparatus and method for simulating production with electronic-component mounting apparatus

A method of simulating production, comprising the steps of:

• storing mounting data about plural types of assembly boards and apparatus data about a component-mounting apparatus which includes:
• plural component feeders for feeding components;
• holders for holding said components and a transfer head for picking up the components from the component feeders and mounting the components on bare boards, said apoaratus data includes compatibility data which indicates compatibility between said feeders and said holders;
• generating, according to the mounting data and the apparatus data, production data for the transfer head to mount the components;
• selecting between a first premise and a second premise, said first premise has location of one of said component feeders different for two of said assembly boards having a component of said one of said feeders in respectively different locations, said second premise has location of said one of said component feeders fixed for said two of said assembly boards, location of said one of said component feeders different or fixed depending upon said compatibility data for said feeder and ones of said holders;
• simulating a production based on the production data and production command data indicating a number of the assembly boards and a production order of the assembly boards to calculate a total number of the assembly boards manufactured with time by the component-mounting apparatus;
• and
• displaying different results of the simulation, depending upon whether said first premise or said second premise is selected.

A method of simulating components mounting, comprising the steps of:

• generating production data for determining an operation of a transfer head of a component-assembling apparatus to assemble plural assembly boards, each including one of bare boards and respective components mounted on the one of the bare boards, according to mounting data about the assembly boards and apparatus data about a component-assembling apparatus which includes the transfer head, plural component feeders for feeding components and holders for holding said components, said apparatus data includes compatibility data which indicates compatibility between said feeders and said holders;
• selecting between a first premise and a second premise, said first premise has location of one of said plural component feeders different for two of said assembly boards having a component of said one of said plural feeders in respectively different locations, said second premise has location of said one of said plural component feeders fixed for said two of said assembly boards, location of said one of said component feeders different or fixed depending upon said compatibility data for said one of said feeders and ones of said holders;
• executing a simulation to calculate a production efficiency of a component-mounting apparatus to mount the components on the one of the bare boards according to the production data and production command data indicating a respective production number and a production order of the assembly boards;
• and
• displaying different results of the simulation depending upon whether said first premise or said second premise is selected.