Moving into a processor from conveyor

[amy_milesB7Q7X]

[ FlexSim 21.2.3 ]

When you have a conveyor that's feeding a processor, what is the best practice to model it so that it accounts for the time it takes to move the object into the processor? For example a spinwrap. I put the process time as the time at the processor only, and assumed the conveyor speed would take into account the move time into the processor. However, it appears to just jump from the end of the conveyor into the processor before the previous item has left. I don't want to use a station because the state graphs don't work without coding logic. How do i get it to correctly account for travel time or do i just need to add that time into my processing time and ignore the graphics.

[support5CRPZ · Accepted solution]

@Amy M3

You can solve your issue using conveyor's 'Area Restriction' option menu in any trigger like On Arrival or On Continue. You can use the feature to prohibit the collision between items moving after and before the processor.

[joerg_vogel_HsH]

You see a movement on a processor. It is just an animation to let you watch a progress. And it is only an option in a processor’s properties. If an item takes time for traveling a distance on your conveyor system and it also takes time for traveling the distance on processors then you add this time to your process time or setup time.

[amy_milesB7Q7X]

I found the animation option but i just want to account for the time traveling to the processor. I'm not sure why it "jumps off" then end of a conveyor. It seems to take into account the time to get on the end of the conveyor when it leaves the processor so not sure why it doesn't do the same on the other end. I can add it to the process time but seems like it should be automatic.

[amy_milesB7Q7X]

I can do that, just seems like it should be automatic when using a conveyor. I had them as stations but then i had to do a lot of programming to get the states correct so changed to processors. Maybe stations are the way to go after all.

[joerg_vogel_HsH]

I don't understand what you mean with jump off. The animation looks smooth to me. and the travel time lasts 30s. I have adjusted the parameter drive along in exit transfer to 10m.

is_Item_jumping_off.fsm

[amy_milesB7Q7X]

Ok so the item moves onto the processor (based on conveyor speed), stops for a few minutes, then travels out(based on conveyor speed. As the item is traveling out, the next one should be traveling in at the same time. Instead it instanteously moves to the processor before last one has not even left yet. Attaching a simple example. The automation option appears to just move item for the processing time so I turned it back off. You have to watch it pretty slow to see it but it's not accounting for the travel time into the processor. Im going to try the area restriction suggested but i guess other option is to build the travel time into the processing time.

In my opinion, there should be travel time from a conveyor exit built in automatically based on conveyor speed.

convTo Proc1.fsm

[amy_milesB7Q7X]

I think the area rest. works ok.convTo ProcwAreaRest.fsm

[amy_milesB7Q7X]

Got that to work, thank you David. I think it should still work automatically..if an item is sitting at the end of a conveyor, it has to travel off at conveyor speed in real life. But anyway, I'll use this solution.

[joerg_vogel_HsH]

An item exits an object by its leading edge. If you need a physical correct free processor you would close processors input and open it by clearing of an photoeye on a conveyor. You assume a behavior which does not exists in FlexSim. FlexSim items are not physical objects.

[amy_milesB7Q7X]

I think I'm ok with using area restrictions..in the future i'll include the travel time in my processing time.

[SCHamoen]

@Amy M3 Other option is to switch off the animation of the processor, place the processor on the right location between the entering and exiting conveyor and change the shape and size of the processor or even make it invisible and I think your problem is solved

[amy_milesB7Q7X]

I do have animation off but even if i make it really small ..the items jump on top of each other. A station works great but the states didn't work without adding more programming so i changed to the processor.