Paced Uncoupled Lines
 
 

• Parts (jobs) reside at stations for a fixed amount of time, after which the line cycles and jobs move to the next station.
• Whenever a machine fails, work stops at that station, but continues at other stations until they complete their current job.
• Most discrete part assembly lines (e.g., automobile assembly, electronic assembly) tend to look like unpaced coupled lines.

 
• Example: A typical example of paced uncoupled lines.
  
  
• Principle: The following principles apply for all uncoupled lines irrespective of whether is paced or unpaced.

 
Principle (Availability): The product of the individual station availabilities is a lower bound on the overall line availability.