How to make AGV wait and load untill a processor finish a batch of items

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Ajay M asked Dec 13 2022 at 11:58 AM Ajay M commented Jan 03 2023 at 9:43 AM

How to make AGV wait and load untill a processor finish a batch of items

Hello all,

I'm using process flow and AGVs to carry out some batch loading and unloading activities.

AGV doesn't wait for the entire batch to be processed before delivering a batch of items to a processor. I also used the "wait for event" command, selected the processor's output queue, and then the AGV picked only a few items before moving on to the next queue. For a better understanding, refer to the attached image.

I'm seeking for a solution that should allow the AGV to wait until the entire batch has been processed, loaded into the AGV, and then unloaded into the following connected queue.

Here is the Model Batching logic.fsm

Software Version:

FlexSim 22.2.3

agv process flow batching waitforevent

1670932546144.png (112.7 KiB)

batching-logic.fsm (48.3 KiB)

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Answer 1 · 2022-12-13T15:47:27Z

Jason Lightfoot answered Dec 13 2022 at 3:47 PM Ajay M commented Jan 03 2023 at 9:43 AM

There are a number of ways to approach this and simplest 'fudge' is to batch the tokens (in the 'sync' activity attached).

Really each step should be a subflow since then the parent token waits until all child tokens are completed.

batching-logic_jl.fsm

batching-logic-jl.fsm (49.4 KiB)

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Ajay M commented · Dec 13 2022 at 7:20 PM

@Jason Lightfoot Thank you very much for your solution, it works well. I really appreciate your quick responses.

I would like to ask one more question. When I run the above logic with a simulation speed of seconds and minutes, it works fine, but when I try to run the same simulation with a simulation speed of hours and days, my model does not work and my AGv remains frozen. I want to cycle through the process flow activities and examine the simulation outcomes over a time period of hours and days. Is that even possible?

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Jason Lightfoot ♦♦ Ajay M commented · Dec 13 2022 at 9:07 PM

You're suggesting one or two things:

The model doesn't repeat when running fast
The model doesn't run long enough

As I said in my answer - I think you really need have one token move through each step which is in turn a run-subflow activity in order to guarantee the coordination instead of the two that you have currently.

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Ajay M Jason Lightfoot ♦♦ commented · Dec 14 2022 at 6:49 PM

Hi @Jason Lightfoot

Actually, both of these things are occurring in my model. When I change the simulation speed from minutes to hours, it does not repeat. Also, despite increasing the simulation speed to hours, the token stays dead, indicating that it has been stopped in a specific sub-flow. In my model, I developed a sub-flow for each processor-based task (such as loading at queue 1, processing an item at processor 1, and unloading at queue 4). Similarly, if there is another new processor, I want to repeat the process with a new sub-flow for each new processor activity. I'm not sure if I'm doing it correctly, but I was able to generate my desired model with corresponding job activities in the end.

Also forgot to mention, when I set the batch size to 10 or 20 units then I am not facing any problem with the simulation run but when I set the batch size to 400 or 500 units I am addressing this issue.

Do you mean I should join all the processors and their activities into a single sub-flow? like in the image attached. If not please correct me.

Thank you in Advance

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1671043468334.png (27.9 KiB)

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