Machining in several stations

A client job starts a sequence of work steps (=jobs) on a workpiece. The Job Manager distributes this sequence to separate machining units whose functions are mainly “autonomous”. An example of a rotary indexing table would be the sequence:

1. Transport_to_1
2. Machining_1
3. Transport_1-2
4. Machining_2
5. Transport_2-x
6. …

Since the jobs are stored in the job queues of the commanded channels, the client is free after sending its command. It can command further follow-up workpieces (even with a different machining sequence) until the job queue of an agent it requires reports "full” status. The agent then stops. When the station is free, the client sends its next command. Several workpieces (=jobs) are “simultaneously” machined in a machine.

The job commanded in the commanding channel corresponds to a “workpiece job”.