Unit | Object Members

Sepasoft MES Module Suite

Unit | Object Members

Sepasoft MES Module Suite

MES Unit

A Unit object represents a piece of equipment and its control modules within the MES Production Equipment Model for the Batch Procedure module. During batch execution, a Unit Procedure is allocated to a single Unit while that step is active.

Use this page as a scripting and object-reference guide for the Unit MES object. For UI configuration details, see Unit | Batch Procedure. For the broader hierarchy and modeling concepts, see Production Equipment Model and Batch Procedure Framework.

Object Type Name

Use this name when scripting: Unit

For background on MES object type names, see MES Object Type Name.

Object Identity

Units are created in the MES Equipment Manager and are typically placed under a Process Cell. A Unit is a leaf node in the production equipment hierarchy and does not contain child equipment objects.

A Unit can be assigned to a Unit Class, which defines the phase structure and parameters available to that Unit during batch execution. Units also support batch-specific settings such as shared-resource allocation, minimum and maximum capacity, transfer paths, and layout position.

Object Hierarchy

Obtaining a Unit in Scripts

You can work with Units either through the general MES scripting API or the Batch-specific Unit scripting module.

By name

unitLink = system.mes.batch.unit.getLink("Mixer 1")
unit = unitLink.getMESObject()

By equipment path

unitLink = system.mes.batch.unit.getLink(r"Enterprise\Site\Area\Process Cell 1\Mixer 1")
unit = unitLink.getMESObject()

By object type name

unitLink = system.mes.getMESObjectLinkByName("Unit", "Mixer 1")
unit = unitLink.getMESObject()

List Units under a Process Cell

processCellLink = system.mes.batch.unit.getProcessCellLink("Process Cell 1")
unitLinks = system.mes.batch.unit.getLinks(processCellLink, 0, 2147483647, "")

Common Inherited Members

The Unit object inherits common members from the MES object and equipment object base classes. The members below are the ones most commonly used in scripts.

Unit-Specific Members

The following members are specific to the Unit object or are particularly important for batch behavior.

Unit Class Assignment

Shared Resource Behavior

A shared Unit can be allocated by recipe logic using the Allocate and Deallocate phases. For more information, see Allocate Phase.

Remote Execution

Capacity

Layout Position

Transfer Paths

Transfer paths are used to represent allowed unit-to-unit transfer destinations.

Related Objects

system.mes.batch.unit Script Functions

The Batch Procedure module exposes a Unit script module at:

system.mes.batch.unit

Functions

getCount(parentLink, searchPattern)

Returns the number of Units that exist for the provided Process Cell and search pattern.

• parentLink: link to the Process Cell object. If None is provided, the first Process Cell is used.

• searchPattern: case-insensitive substring filter. Use "" for no filtering.

getLinks(parentLink, pageNumber, pageSize, searchPattern)

Returns Unit links under a Process Cell.

• pageNumber: use 0 if paging is not needed

• pageSize: use a large value such as 2147483647 if paging is not needed

getList(parentLink, pageNumber, pageSize, searchPattern)

Returns full Unit objects instead of links.

getLink(name)

Returns a Unit link from either:

• the Unit name, or

• the full equipment path

assignUnitClass(unitLink, unitClassLink)

Assigns a Unit Class to a Unit and saves the updated Unit.

A Unit can only have one Unit Class assignment at a time.

unassignUnitClass(unitLink)

Removes the existing Unit Class assignment and saves the Unit.

getAllocationList(...)

Returns a snapshot of allocation requests.

• includeAllocation=True includes active allocations

• includeWaiting=True includes waiting allocation requests

changeAllocationPriority(allocationRequest, newPriority)

Changes the priority of a waiting allocation request. A lower numeric value is higher priority, so 1 is the highest priority.

Examples

Load a Unit and read properties

unitLink = system.mes.batch.unit.getLink("Mixer 1")
unit = unitLink.getMESObject()

print unit.getName()
print unit.getEquipmentPath()
print unit.getMinCapacity()
print unit.getMaxCapacity()

Assign a Unit Class

unitLink = system.mes.batch.unit.getLink("Mixer 1")
unitClassLink = system.mes.batch.unitclass.getLink("Mixer Unit Class")

unit = system.mes.batch.unit.assignUnitClass(unitLink, unitClassLink)
print unit.getUnitClassLink()

Remove a Unit Class assignment

unitLink = system.mes.batch.unit.getLink("Mixer 1")
unit = system.mes.batch.unit.unassignUnitClass(unitLink)

Update shared-unit behavior

unitLink = system.mes.batch.unit.getLink("Heater 1")
unit = unitLink.getMESObject()

unit.setSharedUnit(True)
unit.save()

Configure transfer paths

sourceLink = system.mes.batch.unit.getLink("Tank 1")
destLink = system.mes.batch.unit.getLink("Mixer 1")

sourceUnit = sourceLink.getMESObject()
sourceUnit.addTransferDestination(destLink)
sourceUnit.save()

List Units under a Process Cell

processCellLink = system.mes.batch.unit.getProcessCellLink("Process Cell 1")
unitLinks = system.mes.batch.unit.getLinks(processCellLink, 0, 2147483647, "")

for link in unitLinks:
    print link.getName()

Constraints and Validation

Naming rules

Unit names must follow the production equipment naming rules. For the full list of disallowed characters and naming considerations, see Production Equipment Model.

Units must be unique among sibling objects under the same parent.

Unit Class scope

All Units assigned to the same Unit Class must belong to the same Process Cell. Attempting to assign a Unit Class that is already associated with Units under a different Process Cell will fail.

Transfer path validation

A transfer destination must be a valid Unit link. Duplicate transfer paths are not allowed.

Rename behavior

As with other production equipment objects, renaming a Unit effectively creates a new object identity for the new path. Historical data remains associated with the old object path. Plan naming conventions carefully before deployment.

Common Exceptions

Notes on Batch Behavior

• A Unit supports Batch Procedure behavior and is batch-enabled.

• Units include batch parameter tag support for phase parameter exchange with equipment tags.

• Units do not contain child equipment objects.

• Units are distinct from supplemental Equipment objects used elsewhere in the MES equipment model.

Related Topics

• Unit | Batch Procedure

• Batch Procedure Framework

• Production Equipment Model

• Allocate Phase

• MES Object Type Name

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