Investigation of a Fully-automated Manufacturing Environment Realized through a Flexible Logistic System

Modern industrial production and transportation systems require agile material handling systems. Changing requirements demand flexibility in transportation layout and control systems that are adaptable to the actual needs. Decentralized control systems promise complexity reduction and dependability while centralized approaches improve planning and allow general optimization. By using the use case of a cross-docking logistic system the paper describes how this approach can be combined and implemented by using an agent-based control system on a decentralized lightweight microcontroller infrastructure. The scenario applies to manufacturing environments with modularized assembly lines. These modules are connected by different transport units which merge into an intelligent infrastructure including AGVs, conveyors, and storage.