Robot pool · CPPS · AGVs · flexible manufacturing · PLC · virtual commissioning
Read the thesis · Full-station archive status · Explore the assets
This repository contains the simulation and control artifacts developed for “Investigating the Robot Pool from a Cyber-Physical Production System Perspective”, a 2023 bachelor’s degree project by Angel Muñoz Rocha and Pablo Morilla Cabello at the University of Skövde.
The project investigates a flexible alternative to the traditional fixed production line. Instead of dedicating each robot to one operation, a connected robot pool shares automation resources across production tasks. Automated guided vehicles (AGVs), PLC logic, configurable work cells, and RobotStudio Smart Components are integrated into a virtual commissioning demonstrator.
The result is a proof of concept for high-mix production: material flow and operations can be coordinated without permanently binding every product, robot, and station to a single process route.
flowchart LR
PLC["CODESYS PLC / OPC UA"] <--> RS["RobotStudio station logic"]
VR["VR / manual controls"] --> AGV["AGV fleet"]
GEN["Product & material generators"] --> FLOW["Flexible material flow"]
AGV --> FLOW
FLOW --> POOL["Shared robot pool"]
RS --> AGV
RS --> GEN
RS --> POOL
POOL --> OPS["OP1000–OP5000 + OPFLEX"]
VIS["Factory visual assets"] --> RS
| Capability | Repository implementation |
|---|---|
| Shared automation | Reusable operation libraries for OP1000–OP5000 and OPFLEX |
| Flexible logistics | AGV movement, conveyor, routing, and manual-control Smart Components |
| Configurable products | Raw-material, cut-material, and stack generators |
| Supervisory control | CODESYS PLC project, OPC UA, and RobotStudio station logic |
| Virtual commissioning | Integrated 3D factory assets and simulated I/O behavior |
.
├── AGVs/ # AGV movement and conveyor Smart Components
├── Generators/ # Raw material, cut material, and stack generators
├── Operations/
│ ├── OP1000.rslib # Operation 1000 RobotStudio library
│ ├── OP2000/ # Multipart operation archive
│ ├── OP3000/
│ ├── OP4000/
│ ├── OP5000/
│ └── OPFLEX/ # Flexible OP4000/OP5000 operation
├── Visuals/ # Multipart 3D factory visual assets
├── VR/
│ ├── PLC/ # PLC-related VR assets
│ └── *.rslib # Manual AGV control components
├── docs/
│ └── FULL_PROJECT.md # External full-project download information
├── PLC_THESIS.project # Main PLC project artifact
└── README.md
| Area | Included artifacts | Format |
|---|---|---|
| AGVs | AGVConveyor, AGVMovements |
RobotStudio libraries (.rslib) |
| Generators | Generate Cut, Generate Raw Material, Generate stacks |
RAR archives + .rslib |
| Operations | OP1000, OP2000, OP3000, OP4000, OP5000, OPFLEX |
.rslib + multipart RAR archives |
| Visuals | Factory visual models | 14-part RAR archive |
| VR / manual control | AGV_ManualControl, ManualAGV, PLC package |
.rslib + multipart RAR archive |
| Control | PLC_THESIS.project |
PLC engineering project |
- A Windows workstation capable of running ABB RobotStudio
- RobotStudio 2022.2 recommended — the included
.rslibmetadata reports save build22.2.10013.1 - A RAR 5-compatible extractor such as 7-Zip or WinRAR
- A compatible CODESYS engineering environment with OPC UA support for
PLC_THESIS.project - Any RobotWare packages or add-ins requested when the full station is restored
Use the modular assets included here: import the required .rslib files into a RobotStudio station and connect their exposed properties and I/O signals in Station Logic. The libraries cover AGV motion, conveyor control, product generation, operation cells, and manual AGV interaction.
Keep every part of an archive in the same folder and extract only the first part. The extraction tool will read the remaining parts automatically.
Examples:
Generators/Generate Cut.part1.rar
Operations/OP3000/OP3000.part1.rar
Visuals/Visuales.part01.rar
VR/PLC/PLC.part1.rar
Do not rename individual parts. If extraction fails, confirm that the complete numbered sequence is present before downloading it again.
Expected multipart archive sequences
| Archive | Expected parts |
|---|---|
Generate Cut |
2 |
Generate Raw Material |
2 |
OP2000 |
3 |
OP3000 |
6 |
OP4000 |
4 |
OP5000 |
3 |
OPflex4k5k |
3 |
Visuales |
14 |
VR/PLC |
4 |
The demonstrator was created to evaluate how Industry 4.0 technologies can support an adaptable production environment. Its central themes are:
- resource sharing through a pool of flexible robots;
- AGV-based transport between production resources;
- real-time coordination between the virtual plant and PLC logic;
- reconfigurable production routes for high-mix manufacturing; and
- risk reduction through virtual commissioning before physical deployment.
The thesis was completed in cooperation with ASSAR and OpiFlex.
If you use these artifacts in academic work, please cite the thesis:
Muñoz Rocha, A., & Morilla Cabello, P. (2023). Investigating the robot pool from a cyber-physical production system perspective (Bachelor’s thesis, University of Skövde). DiVA record.
BibTeX
@thesis{munozrocha2023robotpool,
author = {Muñoz Rocha, Angel and Morilla Cabello, Pablo},
title = {Investigating the Robot Pool from a Cyber-Physical Production System Perspective},
institution = {University of Skövde},
year = {2023},
type = {Bachelor's thesis},
url = {https://his.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:1775308}
}This repository is a research prototype, not a production-ready control system. The contents are primarily binary engineering assets, so changes are best reviewed and validated in their authoring applications. Before connecting any part of the project to physical machinery, perform an independent safety review, validate all I/O mappings, and test the complete control sequence in an isolated environment.