a visual representation of a mechanical - electrical machine behavior model is presented that utilizes a non - linear time scale to best illustrate multiple details occurring in a relatively short time frame without affecting the amount of information contained in the complete model . in particular , time periods without user - relevant details are identified and minimized so as to allow for the display space to adequately represent the details associated with the actions of each machine . by “ folding ” these longer time periods to occupy relatively short lengths along the time axis , additional space along the time axis is then available to illustrate the details of each operation .