Adding a Product to a Factory Flow

You can add a product to an existing factory flow. For factory flows with several junctions, you can add a product and route the product to one branch or all the branches of the junction.

Notes:

The same robot or worker that you previously assigned to the product flow handles any product you add.
If a product flow is connected to an out zone, dispatch activities for the added products are automatically created on the out zone.

This task shows you how to:

Add a Product to a Factory Flow
Route a Product to One Branch
Route a Product to Several Branches

Add a Product to a Factory Flow

You can add input and output products to an existing factory flow using Add Product in Factory Flow.

Before you begin: Open a production system with a factory flow already defined.

From the Programming section of the action bar, click Add Product in Factory Flow .
Select the input product to add.
Select the in zone of the factory flow to add the product at the start of the flow.

Alternatively, you can select a resource in the flow to add the product directly in the factory flow.
In the Add Product From In Zone dialog box that appears, click Next to add the product.
You have highlighted the product route. Sometimes a resource supports a transform, load, or unload activity such as an NC machine. If that resource is also part of the factory flow, then the product routes up to that resource only. The Add Product dialog box appears letting you create an activity on the resource.
Optional: Create an activity on the resource as follows:
1. In the tree, select the machine that you added a product to, and click Edit SLA resource .
2. In the Edit dialog box that appears, go to the Input Product or Output Product section of the Edit dialog box that appears.
  By default, the input product is the input and output product of the activity.
3. Click Add Input Product or Add Output Product and select an input or an output.
  The selected input or output appears in the dialog box with the Name and User Defined Name attributes visible.
4. Click Replace the Product and select a new input or output from the Suggested Products dialog box, then click OK.
  The Suggested Products dialog box displays the products based on logical rules depending on edition cases.
5. Click OK to close the Edit dialog box, to validate the creation of the activity, and to route the output product to the end of the factory flow.
  The replacement input or output appears in the dialog box with the Name and User Defined Name attributes visible.
  
  Note: You can also delete a product with the Remove the Product command in the Edit dialog box.
In the Add Product on Out Zone dialog box, click Validate to confirm the product route.

Route a Product to One Branch

You can add input and output products to a factory flow and route the products to one branch of the junction only.

Before you begin: Open a production system with a factory flow with several junctions.

From the Programming section of the action bar, click Add Product in Factory Flow .
Select the input product to add.
Select the in zone of the factory flow to add the product at the start of the flow.
Alternatively, you can select a resource in the flow to add the product directly in the factory flow.
In the Add Product From In Zone dialog box, click Next to route the product up to the first junction.
In the context toolbar, click Route Product to One Flow to route the product to one branch of the junction.
Select the branch where to route the product.
Optional: If the branch routes the product to a resource that supports a transform or load activity, such as an NC machine, create an activity on the resource as follows:
1. In the Add Product dialog box, select an activity such as a transform activity.
  By default, the input product is the input and output product of the activity.
2. In the Output Product area of the dialog box, click Replace The Product and select a new output.
  The selected output appears in the Add Product dialog box.
3. Click Next to validate the creation of the activity and to route the output product to the end of the factory flow.
In the Add Product From Out Zone dialog box, click OK to validate.

Route a Product to Several Branches

You can add input and output products to a factory flow and route the products to all the branches of the junction.

Before you begin: Open a production system with a factory flow with several junctions.

From the Programming section of the action bar, click Add Product in Factory Flow .
Select the input product to add.
Select the in zone of the factory flow to add the product at the start of the flow.
Alternatively, you can select a resource in the flow to add the product directly in the factory flow.
In the Add Product From In Zone dialog box, click Next to route the product up to the first junction.
In the context toolbar, click Route Product to All Flows to route the product to all the branches of the junction.
The product routes to all the branches until it meets a new junction. A context toolbar appears at the next junction.
Optional: Continue to click Route Product to All Flows to include the following branches until the end of the factory flow.
In the context toolbar, click Validate to confirm your selection and exit the command.

You have added the product to all the branches of the factory flow.

Tip: When using Add Product in Factory Flow

, use Esc to undo a selection.