Hi everybody, I am trying to write a product configurator for production lines for all kind of confectionery products.
Whilst I've got a quite precise image in mind of the final result, I am still strugling finding the right tools to implement it. The closest until now seems to be constraint based architectures implemented in Prolog. But before finding the tool, I need to look for appropriate ALGORITHMS DESCRIPTION of the problem: -------------------------------------------- 1) Candies are produced in several steps by weighing the ingredients of a RECIPE, dissolving that mixture, cooking out the water, cooling the mass down, forming it into individual pieces and then packaging them. Complexe candies may be a mixture of different recipes which are mixed or brought later on together Certain masses need even as ingredient a certain ammount of rework. ie of the final cooked mass. You might as well want to split the mass flow and process each branch differently to bring them later on together. --> therefor the recipe is a complexe tree 2) These functions (weighing, cooking, etc.) are realised by machines. The tricky thing about them is that: - a function can be realised by one or more machines - one machine may realise one or several functions - functions can overlap. (eg a toffee mass can be caramelised before, during or after cooking) --> the machines may be abstracted to black boxes with predefined input and output values to make them comparable. 3) COMBINAISONS You may want to produce different candies with the same line. --> intersection of solution sets You may be asked to use existing machines in the new line --> set preferences for certain machines 3) FUZZY Worse: the problem may not be always satisfied in all it's aspects. Most of the aspects and limitations are fuzzy - the budget can be increased if a certain solution gives a very big adavantage - the initially wanted recipe may be changed slightly if the proposed solution gives 20 more new products, etc. --> the initial problem shall be compared to a fuzzy set of solutions (eg like Ebay which shows you how many more items you can find if you remove the one or the other restriction) or simplier with this net diagram that you find in Excel. Afterward I would like to link that system to visio to show the according flow sheet (PID diagram). You see, that it is a lifetime project and still only a sketch. Be certain of my infinite gratitude for your contribution.
