REVIEW OF SIMULATION SOFTWARE TOOLS FOR THE STUDY OF TECHNOLOGIES AND INDUSTRIES OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
The article presents the results of the market research of applied simulation programs from the point of view of the possibility and expediency of using the latter in the development or optimization of technological processes at domestic machine-building enterprises. The features of technological processes of mechanical engineering and aircraft construction at domestic enterprises are analyzed. The main stages of the development of simulation modeling programs and the features of modifying application programs at these stages are studied. The features of the production of metal-intensive products and semi-finished products are studied from the point of view of the feasibility of simulation modeling of these processes. The expediency of conducting simulation modeling of machine-building industries is determined, which provides adequate analysis results at minimal cost compared to other modeling methods. The main criteria for selecting a specific simulation software are defined. It is noted that the most important advantage of software systems is not the ability to visualize the results of mathematical modeling of technological processes, but the ability of the program to apply various available analysis mechanisms, such as sensitivity analysis, optimization of the production environment, the use of the Monte Carlo method, the possibility of scenario analysis. It is determined that an extensive set of analytical tools of software environments (bottleneck analysis, statistical data and graphs) helps to evaluate various production scenarios. Various simulation modeling programs are considered, representing both domestic and foreign developments that are advisable to use in the design and optimization of mechanical engineering processes. It is established that all the analyzed programs provide production planning, design of production facilities and productivity planning, process improvement, analysis of weak points, optimization of the production cycle, optimization of resources: personnel and equipment, provide planning of stocks (in particular, work-in-progress and raw materials). In this article, the ranges of application of these programs are defined. The price range of simulation software environments suitable for modeling production processes of mechanical engineering has been established.