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Felix avatar image
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Felix asked Felix commented

How to set up multiple travel networks?

Hi everyone,

Could someone help me with the following problem?


The current situation is that I have multiple sources that create different, individual prducts (boxes). These products are defined by colour, size and name. The products are waiting in a queue for being picked up by one transporter (forklift). Here the main problem starts: I created different paths the forklift should follow depending on which product is picked up. I created the paths by using network nodes and connecting them to each other and then connecting the forklift to one of the nodes. This works for one path! But: Idk how to "tell" the transporter to use different paths for different products. I guess that I need to define the different travel networks but I'm not sure how to do that.


Does someone has an idea and could eventually help solving this problem?


Thanks in advance and cheers! :)

FlexSim 25.0.4
transporternetwork nodesforkliftforklift traveltravel networks
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Felix Möhlmann avatar image
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Felix Möhlmann answered Felix commented

With a travel network, the best option that comes to mind is to define intermediate travel destinations to force the TE along the path you want it to take. This is easier to set up when using Process Flow to create the transport task sequence. But adding travel tasks to the default task sequence that gets created by the "Use Transport" function would also be possible (On Receive Task Sequence trigger of forklift would be the best option for this in my opinion).

path-by-type.fsm

With AGV paths you would have the option to define rules that determine under what condition a given path can be used. For example, the shortest and thus default path could only be allowed if the TE has loaded an item with a specific type.


path-by-type.fsm (40.3 KiB)
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Felix avatar image Felix commented ·
Hi Felix,

thank you! I can see that it works with the model you've attached. But how did you do it that the TE uses one path for green, one for blue and one for red?

Thanks again!!!!

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Felix Möhlmann avatar image Felix Möhlmann Felix commented ·
When an item enters the queue a token is created in the Process Flow. This token creates a task sequence for the forklift. The first steps are always the same; travel to the queue and load the item. Then the token enters a Decide activity and is send down different paths depending on the item type. In this case the Type value is simply used as the rank of the connection though which the token should continue.

Each connection leads to a different travel activity that sends the forklift to a network in the middle of the path it should take. From there shortest route to the sink is to continue on the path, so the forklift is then send to sink and told to unload the item.

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Felix avatar image Felix Felix Möhlmann commented ·


Makes sense. But what if don't even have the opportunity to choose "item"?

1744204173429.png

I've already tried to set a lable on creation.

1744204270835.png

I have five sources. Each source is creating one specific box. All sources use one queue, which means that I have up to 5 different items but only 3 different paths.


Sorry for all the inconveniences and thanks for your help! :)

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