  |  | | AUTOSCHED OVERVIEW Planning, capacity analysis and simulation
Using AutoSched AP, you can experiment and test ideas for improving your fab, assembly, or test facility, such as new scheduling rules, product mixes, start rates, etc., without the expense and impact of trying your ideas on the real factory. Once you have proven a new dispatching policy using simulation, you can implement the new policy in the real facility using Real Time Dispatcher.Because AutoSched AP is a finite capacity model, you can also answer the available-to-promise question. AutoSched AP is used to make those difficult-to-answer planning decisions, such as: - When do I start a lot?
- Is the lot behind schedule? When will the lot be completed?
- How do I match sales orders to WIP inventories?
AutoSched AP uses the same dispatch rules as the Real Time Dispatcher, so the factory executes the same plan that was committed to customers. Semiconductor manufacturers have unique scheduling issues that complicate the scheduling problem, such as: - Re-entrant process flows - Lots visit the same equipment multiple times.
- Batching - The timing and grouping of lots is a difficult scheduling problem.
- WIP - Schedulers want to keep an ample supply of WIP in front of critically constrained resources without building up excessive queues.
- Multiple criteria rules - Criteria such as recipe matching, PMs, queue time limits, and equipment for critical layers are essential considerations.
- Uncertainty - Random and unforeseen events invalidate schedules frequently.
- Rules must be flexible enough to allow for these considerations, as well as other criteria unique to each facility.
Applied Materials products provide a totally flexible environment in which to implement any rule or policy you need, from the very simple to the very complex. Any policy that is based on data available from the MES and associated information systems can be implemented in the APF products. The dispatching rule engine is extremely fast and can make even complicated "Which lot?" decisions in a fraction of a second. The AutoSched AP product: - Is an object-oriented modeling tool.
- Uses a Windows-based Excel spreadsheet interface.
- Is integrated with the APF Repository, APF Reporter, and Real Time Dispatcher.
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