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Joachim W avatar image
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Joachim W asked Sebastian Hemmann answered

How to split a flowitem on a conveyor?

Hi,

I am trying to simulate something like a shear in a conveyor. Therefore I placed a station on the conveyor, to stop my flowitem, and cut it into two pieces by the use of flexscript. Generally first I set the new size of the object, then I create a copy of it and place it right behind the original flowitem.

But the two items on my conveyor now are not fully independent objects. If I create the copy by "Object new = insertcopy(item,item);" , my copied item moves together with the original item along the conveyor, but it doesn't interact with following stations.


So I tried it by "Object new = insertcopy(item,conveyor);". Now I have two independent items on the conveyor, but the new copy doesn't move on the conveyor. It seems, it's just graphically there, but it has no interaction with the conveyor, also no collisions with new objects coming along the conveyor. Maybe there is an easy solution for this?


Thanks

FlexSim 18.2.3
split flowitem by flexscript
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Ryan Clark avatar image Ryan Clark commented ·

Hi @Joachim W, was one of David Seo's or Jeanette F's answers helpful? If so, please click the "Accept" button at the bottom of the one that best answers your question. Or if you still have questions, add a comment and we'll continue the conversation.

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3 Answers

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Sebastian Hemmann avatar image
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Sebastian Hemmann answered

Here is what we see as solution.

The model shows 2 different ways of solving this:

1. using default conveyor

2. using basicFR

Any further questions @Felix Möhlmann might answer.

FlexSim_2022_Trennbahn_2_SH.fsm



flexsim-2022-trennbahn-2-sh.fsm (83.7 KiB)
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David Seo avatar image
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David Seo answered David Seo edited

@Joachim W

You can solve it using creating item option and send message.

I upload an example model.

conv_CopyItem.fsm


conv-copyitem.fsm (40.1 KiB)
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Joachim W avatar image Joachim W commented ·
Ok but that doesn't really solve the problem itself. With this solution, the new object is sent from a queue to the conveyor, when the process is done. That doesn't represent reality, because physically that "copied" part is always on the conveyor, and shall stop new flow items which are moving downstream.


Thats why my question is:


Why can't I simply use that create code directly in the station object? It works basically, I can copy it and place it where desired. My only problem is the destination parameter at the "insertcopy" method. Which destination I have to put the copy inside, to ensure it keeps on interacting with the conveyor?

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Jeanette F avatar image
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Jeanette F answered Jeanette F commented

Hello @Joachim W

A suggestion I have is to use a separator instead of a station. You can change the shape of the separator to be a plane and fit with the conveyors. This will put a divide in your conveyor, however it will function how you would like without the problems you currently are facing.

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Joachim W avatar image Joachim W commented ·
I also tried that solution, but: Now my flowitems leave the conveyor and hop on that separator station. Due to this, there is no more collision between the flowitem on the separator and incoming flowitems on the conveyor - that distorts the simulation results. Probably I didn't fully catch you?
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Joerg Vogel avatar image Joerg Vogel Joachim W commented ·
A conveyor system expects items entering items through entry transfers to create an unique order sequence to evaluate gap and item distance between them.
  • If you need a split you can stop items following on a conveyor by e.g. photo eye.
  • You create an item copy into model space command.
  • You move item into an entry transfer, which is a result of queue connection to conveyor at location of station. You could also move item or create item directly in connected queue.
  • you detect created item on conveyor by e.g. photo eye.
  • you let move on stoped items on conveyor.

Conveyor system updates new unique order sequence automatically. There might be a similar code based approach, where you notify created item belonging to conveyor system and rerank it in sequence in coupling nodes.

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Jeanette F avatar image Jeanette F ♦♦ Joachim W commented ·

Hello @Joachim W

This is an example of what I intended. Conv separator.fsm

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conv-separator.fsm (39.7 KiB)
Sebastian Hemmann avatar image Sebastian Hemmann Jeanette F ♦♦ commented ·
In this solution the new size of the cut items is not solved
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