Problem with Process Flow 2

[lilian_fonseca]

[ FlexSim 16.1.0 ]

new-bod-most-updated-version-autosave.fsm

In the attached model, I would like to know how to set up the process flow so that the Carton (3d Box) is created only after the robot touches the flow item (door)?

Thank you.

[sam_stubbsYXX86]

I think I was able to fix what you needed. I added a "Wait For Event" activity listening for the Robot's "OnLoad" event to trigger, and placed it between the "Create a 3D Box" and "Create Carton" activities. Then added a "Create Carton" onto the "Create First Box" to get the logic to flow for the first one.

I've reattached your model.

[lilian_fonseca]

@Sam Stubbs

Your logic seems to be working fine, but when the first door is created the first box is also being created at the same time. In other words, this condition of the robot picking up the door and then a box would be created should work as soon as the simulation starts to run.

[jeff_nordgren]

@Lilian Fonseca

The problem with your logic is that the box has to enter the combiner first (connected to the first input port of the combiner) before it will retrieve a door (connected to the second input port of the combiner). So if a box is not created first and enters the combiner, the robot will never touch (pick up) a door. That is how a combiner works. It must have a flowitem enter through input port 1 before it will look for any other flowitems entering through other input ports.

So a box has to be created first otherwise the model will just stop. So @Sam Stubbs's answer is the only way the model can work.

[jeff_nordgren]

I modified the model that @Sam Stubbs sent you. Maybe something like this would work better for you?

Model: new-bod-most-updated-version-3.fsm

What I basically did was to use the Robot to move the door from the queue to the conveyor. That way it "touches" the door (kicking off the creation of the box) before it tries to pickup the door to move it to the combiner.

[lilian_fonseca]

@jeff.nordgren That works great. I was just trying to figure out why is the robot turning the door 90 degrees during the on load process.

[matt_long · Accepted solution]

In order to work around the combiner's default logic of requiring a container item to enter the combiner through port 1 before accepting any additional items, we need to manually tell the robot to pick up the door and move it into the combiner.

In the attached model I have created a Move Door process flow that manually loads and unloads the door using the robot.

The Source is listening to the Send To Port on Conveyor 3's exit transfer (the transport dispatch field will never be called as the conveyor has no where to send the door). We then use a Load activity to tell the robot to load the door, create the carton and wait for it to enter the combiner. We can then unload the door into the combiner. If you wanted to have the robot move the door to a set position before unloading, you could accomplish this by adding a Travel to Loc task after creating the carton.

I did also uncheck the Use Transport box from Conveyor 3's exit transfer as we're performing our own logic there.new-bod-most-updated-version-working.fsm