This application recommendation proposes a modelling method of material handling systems, processes and transport units by means of the engineering data format AutomationML. It will describe the recommended use of role and interface classes as well as the recommended structures to be considered within the instance hierarchy of an AutomationML project.
Material handling is a general term which contains the movement (transportation), protection, storage, control and coding of materials and products through a manufacturing system. The movement of the materials, which is an essential part of material handling, can be defined as the material flow. Material flow includes a set of actions in an assembly line in which a product is taken from a loading station, passes through intermediate steps like assembling or packaging, and arrives at the shipment. These operations are made by transportation systems such as carriers, conveyors, vehicles or sometimes robots.
This document introduces the usage of AutomationML standard format to define material handling related resources and processes. The eCl@ss standard and the guideline VDI 2411 have influenced the concept modeling of the components, but they are not adopted strictly as the priority lies on the usability of the models for data exchange purpose already in the earlier phases of the engineering planning.