Generic Representation Language for Modeling Transport and Material Handling Systems in Smart Manufacturing Systems

This paper introduces a generic representation language to be used by organizations to represent physical and behavioral characteristics of Transport and Material Handling Systems (TMHS). This work implied a systematic observation, analysis and interpretation of several TMHS to ensure that most of the behaviors were covered. The generic representation language consists of three main types of elements: (i) objects transported, (ii) workstations and (iii) transport/handling equipment (device), and a small set of simple and easy-to-use properties to be defined by users of each organization to characterize each element of a TMHS. Each property is not related to any specific device and can be used to represent the behavior of different devices. A graphic representation for each element is proposed to make communication between users simpler and more effective, as well as to reduce the time to learn and apply the representation language. The representation of three concrete TMHS (with different behaviors, rules and restrictions) is shown, contributing to demonstrate the ability, flexibility and comprehensiveness of the developed representation language. These results point to the potential of implementing the developed generic representation language in IT (Information Technology) support systems, in particular, in Smart Manufacturing Systems, to control most of the TMHS.