Bottling Module (Beta) Now Available

[#1]

We have released a beta version of our bottling module. The module adds two new objects to the FlexSim 3D Library. The Mass Flow Conveyor (MFC) and the MFC Motor. The Mass Flow Conveyor allows you to define multiple lanes for flow items to move along. It is often used in bottling lines. Help files are included in the FlexSim User Manual to assist you.

This beta version must be installed with FlexSim 2017 Update 2. 32-bit and 64-bit installers can be downloaded through the downloads section in the Modules tab of the FlexSim website:

FlexSim Downloads

The following are known issues:

• Acceleration implementation is not complete.
• Crossline Multiplier implementation is not complete.
• MFC.Motor property 'sections' is not working.

Please post any feedback or bug reports either as a comment to this article or you can email them to dev@flexsim.com

[matt_long]

Bugs:

• If Motor is in a stopped state when Reset is hit, the Motor does not resume.
• Some of the curved conveyors have their surface normals flipped causing their color to draw incorrectly.

[michael_machado]

Thanks @Matt Long. That would be very useful for pharmaceutical and brewery companies.

[phillip_b]

I have a question but changing section speeds.

I have a MFC with several section and a decision point that will set the speed of one section to zero. My problem is that the decision point in 4 sections downstream of the conveyor I want to change speed and the trigger "Conditionally Change Section Speed" only gives me the option to change the "this", "previous", or "next" sections. Is there a way to change speed in this manner?

[matt_long]

Yes you can. We should probably add this as an option in the drop down. It would be simpler if the code header had a reference to the MFC object, but since it currently doesn't, this is what the code would look like:

ownerobject(section).as(MFC).sections[3] //Section 3

I'll add it to the dev list for the next release to add the MFC to the code header. This would then change the code to look like this:

mfc.sections[3]

[arunTTT2P]

Is there any plan to develop machine object with ramp up-ramp down profile as a part of the bottling module? For eg: Unscrmabler, Labeller, Filler etc

[matt_long]

There is no plan currently.

[phillip_b]

Thank you for answering my previous question. I have come across another question along these same lines.

I want to slow the conveyors in one area of the simulation when the backup on conveyors in a different area of the simulation reaches a decision point.

Is it possible to to have a decision point on one MFC control the speed on a section of a different MFC?