Michelle Blumenstein, Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg
Andreas Stutz, Siemens AG
Mathias Maurmaier, Siemens AG
Alexander Fay, Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg
Version 2, 06 November 2023
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.36019.81440
Modular plants are gaining more and more importance in the process and manufacturing industries for creating flexible and adaptable production systems. In order not to restrict this flexibility, an equally modu-lar and thus flexible and adaptable production-related logistics system is required. Here, the Module Type Package (MTP) concept, which is already known in the area of modular production, can be applied to the area of production-related logistics [1, 2].
In this context, this document describes interpretations and necessary extensions of the Module Type Package concept for the field of modular production-related logistics facilities. It serves as a technical specification to describe the basic concepts of Modular Logistics Systems and to specify necessary new MTP interface and model definitions. Its structure is oriented along the structure of the MTP standard with its different specification aspects.
In Section 2 a short introduction into Modular Logistics Systems as application context of this document is given. Section 3 introduces a service-based automation concept for logistics modules following the VDI/VDE/NAMUR 2658-4 [3] specifications. A concept for a further development of the vendor-neutral Human Machine Interface description of VDI/VDE/NAMUR 2658-2 [4] are described in Section 4. Based on VDI/VDE/NAMUR 2658 3 [5] and VDI/VDE/NAMUR 2658-4 [3] Section 5 proposes blueprints to reduce the complexity of base interfaces in the context of machines in discrete applications like logistics. In Sections 6 and 7 a cross-module coordination mechanism for the automation of Logistics Lines and an automation approach for Logistics Areas are introduced. Functions and architectural approaches for Logistics Orchestration Layers as overlaying control systems of Modular Logistics Systems are described in Section 8.
Based on all those concepts, Section 9 gives an overview of the necessary extensions to the Module Type Package specification in the context of production-related logistics. Finally, Sections 10, 11 and 12 define necessary semantical enriching model definitions and corresponding new interface definitions which can be used in logistics modules and their Module Type Packages.
Since the work on the concepts for modular logistic systems is still ongoing, there may still be changes to this document.
Please find all references here.
The current version of the Technical Report can be downloaded as a PDF file here.
- Version 1 (Release Date: 20 September 2022)