Production and Facility Scheduler (PFS)

OUR GOAL: To exceed the toughest expectations!

It seems so easy, but turns out to be so complex and crucial: time control of production processes. It has to be exact, flexible and easy to work with.

The first step: Instead of having to program everything into the PLC, a zenon-supplied software is used. zenon does not require expensive special software. It comes with a fully integrated production and facility scheduler (PFS). The PFS is a plant calendar that accurately controls facilities and production processes by date, time, event and production status.

Production and Facility Scheduler (PFS)

The PFS can be compared to a highly sophisticated clock timer that carries out tasks at fixed or relative times. For example, it changes the target value of a variable at a certain point in time, or executes a certain function.

Depending on the definition, these actions are executed either one time or cyclically. They occur either at a fixed point in time, or are comparatively defined. Relative times such as production beginning/end, breaks, or shift beginning/end are merged with the zenon time models (i.e. 40 hour week) and from that the execution times are calculated.

Which actions are time linked in which way, is stated in the so-called schedules. Lower-level timetables automatically include the times of the higher-level timetables, and can be expanded by their own time patterns. The calendar links the time models with timetables and clearly displays them.

Central control of complete factories

zenon also makes it very easy to switch an entire facility with the PFS. For that purpose, units that belong together are grouped into facilities: i.e. the buildings of a production facility. Structural or production related conditions are logically simulated.

This is how it works:

• Every facility receives its own time models and schedules. Various production times can be assigned, and each execution time can be linked to multiple actions.
• The time models form the data basis for the work times in a facility.
• This way various shift operations are realized. They contain the shifts and breaks. The relative switch times in the timetables then are based on these shift models.
• The integrated switching point preview shows the engineered executions in a list view.
• Data that has been created online can be rebuilt in the Editor. This way the engineer has at their disposal all data that has been developed in the facility.

The PFS has been completely integrated into zenon and can be engineered in the Editor and the Runtime. It is fully network-capable, redundantly executable and has extensive allocation of user authorizations.