Firing instant approach to control time critical systems in multi-product processing

Time-critical systems are characterized by operation times between a minimum and a maximum value. Any transgression of these specifications acts against production quality. In this paper, we propose to use a firing instant approach to build temporal control when the systems process several kinds of parts. The formalism presented refers to lot switching when the cyclic scheduling is the same whatever the type of part. Under the same assumption, it can be applied to interlaced production leading to a steady state. The P-time Petri net is used as a modeling tool. The method is illustrated for an electroplating line with two types of products.