Need help on how to go about this problem. I can I scan a barcode of a product on one computer and send that message to another area on a big screen that the next step for the product is ready and the rest of the components need to be delivered to it? Then, be able to clear that it has been delivered?
It would almost be like a fast food solution. Create a order and show what is pending and needs to be delivered to be the people packing the food.
Thanks
You've left it somewhat generic, but what you've described needs a state machine in a central point. In Ignition, that would be the gateway. The state machine would be responsible for remembering (memory tags, databases, global variables, whatever) what has been done and computing what still needs to be done. As bar codes are scanned, or any other input received, the state machine code updates the memory/DB/variables. Your status displays would monitor (either subscribe or poll) that same set of memories.
Writing state machine code is a big topic, and many paths to solutions. Share as much detail as you can to get better guidance on how to do this.
The details of our issue, are we are people dependent to give a signal to pull the next kit.
Our product is about to complete station 8. Before the product reaches station 10, a kit of materials will need to be pulled and arrive in time. Currently, a person tells someone else to pull it based on what he sees, which has many failure points. If I were to create a traveler that had a barcode scan of the product number, how can I setup a computer to scan it at station 8, send the signal/message to the materials team on a big display (Monitor) to pull the kit for the product and deliver to station 10 in a queue fashion, and for the materials team to be able to complete the signal and the system to capture the time it took from start to completion?
Detailed enough? And appreciate any help
Well, that's much easier than what I was thinking.
When you receive a new barcode at station 8, you look it up in your database, and insert a new record with timestamp in your "needed for S10" table, then message the gateway to recalculate all the kit(s) still needed for station 10. Typically a fancy named query with joins to capture all components and their quantities. Store the result in a memory dataset tag for the big monitor to bind to.
Eyeballs watching the big monitor execute the material pulls to make the kits. Probably don't need a formal queue, but if you do, its just another table "queued for S10". Possibly a barcode scan at the materials station to populate that table.
Station 10 barcode scanner message at completion (or, perhaps, station 11), marks the corresponding record in the "needed for S10" table as no longer needed. So it drops off the monitors.
Add more elaboration as needed.
Thank you for the help