Picking boxes from a pallet at a processor

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Jorge Manuel Garcia asked Oct 6, '16 Joerg Vogel answered Oct 6, '16

Picking boxes from a pallet at a processor

Hi to everyone,

First of all, I'd like to thank this community and the info it provides. I'm quite new to Flexsim and being able to use your contributions is really helpful.

I'm trying to model a picking process in an automated warehouse. This warehouse has pallets with boxes. The picking process consists in taking boxes from different pallets and once the boxes are picked, the pallet goes back to the warehouse.

I've already designed the circulation of pallets, which works correctly. I've placed a "Processor" resource and an Operator at the picking station. Now I'm trying to tell the Operator to pick 'x' boxes and carry them to another conveyor. I'm not sure how could I do that...

Thanks for your guidance!

Jorge

PD: I attach a screenshot, just to clarify

Software Version:

FlexSim 16.2.0

processor flowitem picking station

picking.png (25.0 KiB)

· 1

Joerg Vogel commented · Oct 06, 2016 at 05:24 PM

@Jorge Manuel Garcia You have a pallet full of boxes at a processor. At this processor you want a Operator to pick several boxes and then let him transport those boxes to another conveyor. After that the pallet with a bit less boxes is going to the next object. Is it that what you want?

0 ·

Answer 1 · 2016-10-06T16:43:48Z

Sam Stubbs answered Oct 6, '16

If you're using the 3D model logic you'll want to use a separator object to unpack your pallet full of items. Make sure the "unpack" option is selected in the Separator tab inside the Separators properties. And then, if you want the operator unpacking the object to unpack or carry multiple items off the pallet at one tiem, simply increase the operator's capacity in it's properties window.

I've attached a simple example below.

packing.fsm

capacity.png (12.0 KiB)

packing.fsm (26.7 KiB)

Answer 2 · 2016-10-06T17:37:49Z

Joerg Vogel answered Oct 6, '16

I have attached a 3D model that uses instead of a processor a queue, because I don't know how long the pallet has to stay at the processor. On Entry of the pallet I close the input and output of the queue. Then I send a message to the queue itself, because I'd like to initiate tasksequences that let pick an operator the last box of the pallet and transport this box to another object. The last task of the tasksequence is again a message back to the queue to create another transport tasksequence or not. That depends on the 2nd Parameter of the sendmessage task. If the random created parameter is 2 then none box is picked and the input and output is opened again. Otherwise the parameter is set to 1 and the next box will be picked. The second parameter in the sendmessage command is always the reference to the pallet.

unload-a-part-from-a-pallet.fsm (18.1 KiB)

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