Conveyor sensor permanently stops part

Component Modeling
#1

Hi, I am very new to visual components and this is my first time posting in this forum. I have an assignment where I have to model/simulate a packaging process. I have done much of this using the packaging library which posed no problems. However, now towards the end I require a palletizing operation. I have a conveyor belt which brings the pallet in line with the robot, the pallet is stopped on the conveyor using the conveyor sensor and the StopPart action. The robot then completes the simple pick and place operation in the desired pattern on the pallet, the problem is I dont know how to get the pallet to move onto the next conveyor belt once this pattern is complete? I can’t figure out how to tell the conveyor sensor to stop stopping the pallet. Is there something I must do in the signals section with the sensor? Or is there an alternative component to the conveyor sensor I should be using?

I know how to do this using the works library however, I would like to complete it without using this as our assignment requires sensors. As well as this, we have not learned any of the in-built programming such as Python, so a script will not help me either.

Thanks in advance and my apologies if this is hard to follow. If you require any more information please just ask.

#2

Hi @Michael5747

Have you tried using the sensor in stop conveyor mode, and then using a conveyor motor to restart the conveyor once the pallet is full?

Alternatively, you could try the bladder stopper, and send a release signal to that once the pallet is full.

#3

Hi Este,

Thank you for the quick reply. Yes the bladder stopper seems to be applicable to this situation. I tried to set it up using the time delay but this did not work properly as the time taken to stack the first pallet is slightly longer than for the subsequent pallets.

However, the signals aspect of visual components really confuses me. To what device do I connect the release signal of the bladder stopper to to let it know the pallet is full?

Is there any way for me to send you my file and let you see where I am going wrong?

Thanks for your help so far, I really appreciate it!

#4

The best answer really depends on how you are doing the palletizing.
If you use a normal robot routine, connect the signal to a robot, and activate the output once the pallet is done. Tutorial for this available in Academy: https://academy.visualcomponents.com/lessons/connect-signals-to-a-robot/

Process modeling has the send signal statement. Check out the Academy tutorial for this: https://academy.visualcomponents.com/lessons/connect-signals-to-a-robot/

In the works library, you can use the Write signal task to activate the release signal.
Check the help file for specific information on signals as necessary.
Good luck!