CG 2026-03-17

Discrete & Continuous Material Definition

Icon	Name	Description
	Manufacturing Assembly	Acting as a finished / intermediate discrete assembly that would be manufactured through a scope on workplan or header workplan.
	Provided Part	Pre-made discrete components or parts sourced externally. Added to processes as fixed-unit inputs (e.g., 10 bolts per assembly) and managed via inventory or procurement systems
	Manufactured Material	Acting as a finished / intermediate discrete product that would be manufactured through a scope on workplan or header workplan.
	Manufacturing kit	The Manufacturing Kit is a specialized grouping construct designed to organize and manage collections of items that are logistically linked but not physically assembled.
	By Product	By-products are discrete materials that are produced as a residual of, or incidental to, the production process. By-products can be recycled, sold as is, or used for other purposes in the process
	Continuous Manufactured Material	Continuous manufactured materials refer to bulk or non-discrete materials produced in a continuous flow through a workplan or header workplan, such as chemicals, plastics, liquids or food products. Unlike discrete parts, these materials are not counted in individual units but are instead measured by quantities like mass, volume, length, or area.
	Continuous Provided Material	Bulk inputs supplied to a process in non-discrete quantities (e.g., raw chemicals, granules, or liquids). Defined by consumption metrics (e.g., 100 kg of sugar per batch)
	Continuous By-Product	Continuous By-products are liquid materials that are produced as a residual of, or incidental to, the production process. By-products can be recycled, sold as is, or used for other purposes in the process.
	Phase	An intermediate aggregating node in the Formula BOM, gathering the raw materials that would be introduced or produced for a given workplan. Used to organize the Formula BOM hierarchically, it’s not a material per say that can be stored.
	Continuous In-Process Material	Represents an intermediate continuous item produced that needs to be controlled within a recipe but not managed in inventory.

Resources Definition

Icon	Name	Description
	Area	A physical or logical zone within a manufacturing site, used to group resources and define operational boundaries (packaging halls or quarantine zones). Also the aggregating node when modeling a Capable Resources Structure.
	Manufacturing Cell	A modular organizational unit that groups resources to perform a specific set of operations. Cells are the primary building blocks of production lines or work-centers. Can contain all resource types (robots, workers, NC machines,…).
	Robot	A working resource representing automated mechanical equipment with an arm programmed to perform tasks like pick-and-place.
	Worker	Skilled human operators performing manual or semi-automated tasks (aseptic technicians, QC inspectors or logistics handlers).
	Transport	A working resource for moving materials, parts or products between locations (forklifts, automated guided vehicles or overhead cranes).
	Conveyor	A working resource for continuous or discrete material movement (belt conveyors, roller conveyors or overhead chains). Models synchronous/asynchronous material transfer between stations. Used in factory to optimize space and avoid bottlenecks. Example: A "Modular Belt Conveyor" moving bottles between a filling machine and a labeling station.
	NC Machine	A working resource for precision machining (CNC mills or lathes) that executes programmed instructions (G-code) to shape materials. Associated with Tool Equipment (drills, end mills,…) stored in its tool magazine.
	Industrial Machine	A working resource for non-CNC production equipment (fill & finish machine, mixing tank, bioreactors,packaging machines,...). These machines perform repetitive, process-driven tasks.
	Inspect	A working resource for quality control independent of a given resource – a worker-operated tools (vision systems, measurement system or gauges). Inspection resources verify dimensional accuracy, defects or compliance.
	Control Equipment	You can create a control equipment to group several programmable resources, such as robot and robot devices that can be controlled through the same HMIs. It’s a working resource for supervisory devices HMIs or remote controllers that monitor/control other resources. Manages for example the interface for any emergency stops, interlocks or zone access.
	Logic Controller	A working resource for programmable logic controllers or industrial PCs that execute ladder logic or function blocks to automate sequences. Defines start/stop conditions, timers or counters for operations... Acts as the executing resource for logic-driven tasks. Example: A "S7-1500 PLC" coordinating a picking robot and conveyor system.
	Tool Equipment	A non-working resource representing auxiliary devices (grippers or jigs) that enable to perform operations in addition to another primary resource. Specifies tools required for a task (a screw driver for a set up task or a tool mounted on a robot. It can be nested under machines (a tool magazine in an industrial machine).
	Storage	A non-working resource for holding materials, parts or tools (racks, bins, automated storage/retrieval systems). Buffer zones, warehouses or kanban systems.
	Sensor	A non-working resource for data acquisition (temperature sensors, pressure gauges or RFID readers) part of the manufacturing line / work center and not of a given equipment, the sensor can also be put as secondary resource to a primary capable resource. It can be part of the process and measure the process but not part of the equipment, if part of the equipment, it means that these are capabilities of the equipment.
	User Defined Resource	A custom resource for specialized or proprietary equipment not covered by standard types (collaborative robots or custom jigs). It can aggregate other resources (a user-defined "Packaging Station" with a sensor and tool).
	Manufacturing Setup	A temporary configuration of resources (resource with tooling arrangements or fixture setups) required to prepare for a specific operation or product variant. Defines. Supports quick swaps between product configurations (left/right-hand drive assemblies).