Changing customer needs and short product life cycles, confront production systems with growing challenges, especially in terms of flexibility and production speed. To analyze the system behavior, mathematical models and models based on logical relationships are created. However, as manufacturing systems become more complex, these methods reach their limits, and simulation is increasingly used.
Simulation has gained relevance as a method of analysis. The potentials of simulation of manufacturing processes are contrasted by high efforts in the preparation and integration. Chances for increasing the efficiency of simulation studies can be seen in the conceptual model development, model generation and verification, and validation.
Metamodeling offers an approach for reducing the effort in the creation of simulation models by providing common syntax, semantics, or structural features. This work represents a structured literature review investigating current research work on metamodeling in manufacturing systems. Application areas and different types of metamodels are made visible and further research is suggested.