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Summary

Featherlite Framework by apixxo

URLs: featherlite-framework, featherlite framework, featherliteframework, apixxo

Rapidly develop planning, logistics and manufacturing applications. The Featherlite Framework provides a basis to rapidly develop individualized solutions with a focus on, but not limited to, planning, scheduling and control in logistics and manufacturing. Featherlite Framework is a library of re-usable software components that solve common problems in planning, scheduling and execution control. It includes a large set of run time components with pre-build algorithms and reference implementations to enable you to quickly start developing individualized solutions.

featherlite Framework

The featherlite framework enables you to a use standardized base to:

Configure Tailor-Made Business Processes In Manufacturing And Logistics

Using an extensible data model

Seamless

Local or web-based real-time solutions

Planning, execution and optimization functions for all types of business processes

Visualize Processes

Monitor processes in real-time

Execute and optimize

Run Your Solution Using Any System Environment

Using any type of hardware

Using any operating system

Using any database

Integrate Third-Party Systems

Exchange and track key performance indicators

With any ERP system (SAP certified interfaces, JD Edwards, Navision, Axapta)

Connect the featherlite Framework with Shop Floor Devices

Directly control devices and plants

Rapid real-time data throughput (S7, Beckhoff, Pago)

Java-Based

The featherlite framework uses Java, an open and standardized programming language.

Commercial Components

featherlite ADS Interface - This plug-in enables featherlite execution control components to communicate with Beckhoff PLCs via TCP/IP.

featherlite aps - Additional featherlite components for advanced planning and scheduling.

featherlite OR persistence - Plug-in to persist featherlite objects in relational databases.

featherlite S7 Interface - This plug-in allows featherlite execution control components to communicate with Simatic S7 PLCs via TCP/IP using a generic apixxo protocol.

featherlite Stoecklin Interface - This plug-in allows the featherlite execution control components to communicate with Simatic S7 PLCs via TCP/IP using the Stoecklin protocol.

featherlite utils - Additional components used in applications to send e-mails, display and manage featherlite log messages.

featherlite Framework For Developers

Short Induction Periods For New apixxo Users

There are many ways in which new apixxo users profit from the featherlite framework. The apixxo development environment consists of the framework and tools provided by Eclipse IDE. The principles governing software development are easy to learn and intuitive as they follow the spoken language. After only two weeks, software developers who already possess knowledge of object-oriented programming can use the platform productively.

Reduce Time-To-Market

Preconfigured Software Components Accelerate Development Processes

All preconfigured components are designed to cover clearly defined sets of functions. Proven components already exist for most standard functions. These components are easily and simply combined, allowing complex programs to be created rapidly. Tests and simulations can be conducted at runtime.

Additional Data Fields and Functions

apixxo’s flexible and dynamic data model is easily extended by additional data fields and functions. Projects can be realized following the principles of extreme programming. Clients can refine their requirements during the course of projects, allowing for an interactive communication between programmer and customers. If project enhancements are required at a later date, the solution is simply enhanced through the integration of further data fields and functions, negating the risks caused by workarounds or complicated add-ons.

Rapid Roll Out

Developers can test all processes, functions, material and data flows as well as optimization algorithms extensively and during runtime before any solution goes live. Troubleshooting and bug fixing are supported by sophisticated mechanisms.

Preconfigured Solutions

Preconfigured solutions are used to capture typical customer requirements. These components simplify programming tasks.

Algorithms

apixxo possesses extensive know-how in the conceptualization, programming and implementation of algorithms that optimize and automate processes in manufacturing and logistics.

featherlite Framework for System Manufacturers

Customers increasingly require system manufacturers to supply the most diverse technical components such as devices, machinery and control systems as system packages. apixxo provides a platform that provides all software functions required to operate, control, monitor and optimize such systems. The platform also ensures communication with ERP systems or customer-specific MES and MIS software packages.

Short Time-To-Market

Thanks to the short development and roll-out phases of apixxo-based software solutions as well as their adaptability, system manufacturers can significantly reduce the time required to launch solutions on the market.

Choose Your System Environment

apixxo-based software solutions can run on any hardware, database or operating system. This fact provides system manufacturers with a competitive edge, when faced with customers using divergent system environments.

Real-time Process Optimization

apixxo software determines optimum process sequences in real-time and controls systems based on this information. In case of a malfunction, the software determines within milliseconds how to best ensure process continuity, resulting in higher product throughput and improved system utilization. apixxo supports system manufacturers when it comes to choosing the suitable algorithms for their customers.

Multi-language, Tailor-made User Interfaces

The user interfaces provided by the apixxo platform can be easily adapted to meet customer requirements with regard to the data displayed and the languages used. The apixxo framework is used to adapt GUIs to user requirements.

Global Availability Of Java Specialists

Export-oriented system manufacturers profit from the global availability of Java specialists.

Commercial Components:

featherlite ADS Interface

The ADS Interface package provides the components required to connect the execution control functionality of the featherlite core package with Beckhoff shop floor controllers using the ADS protocol on top of TCP/IP. The ADS Interface package provides all components required to connect to a Beckhoff PLC via TCP/IP, send and receive telegrams and map featherlite control events to PLC components. This component requires a Beckhoff PLC running TwinCAT version 2.9 or higher.

Benefits:

Portability - 100% pure Java guarantees platform-independence

Ease of installation - client and server component plug-ins added to existing featherlite applications through configuration

Ease of integration - ready-to-use user interfaces for existing featherlite applications

Ease of development - configurable featherlite communication objects interface for shop floor integration

Ease of configuration - configurable mapping of featherlite events to PLC components and vice versa

Content:

In featherlite applications communication between execution control runtime components and shop floor controllers is handled by execution and confirmation policies. The ADS Interface server package adds execution policies and other components required to integrate the featherlite execution control flow with Beckhoff controllers. The package contains the Connection Handler with acceptors and connectors required to manage TCP/IP connections and the message exchange, converter and parser classes needed to map featherlite control events to ADS protocol-specific exchange data and protocol-specific core telegram classes. Using the ADS Interface server and client components, you are able to quickly implement applications that control complex processes on the shop floor (material flows, production schedules, and so on) using workflow modeling and featherlite execution control.

Usage:

Communication between control applications and the shop floor PLC controllers is always project-specific. The ADS Interface provides a basis that allows the developer to quickly develop communication functions by focusing on the logical mapping. The execution policies shipped with the package can be extended by overriding the core execution policies and by configuring the logical mapping of control events to PLC components. On the other hand, the back-end infrastructure used to manage TCP/IP connections as well as the UI components to monitor, test and simulate can be used immediately.

featherlite Advanced Planning & Scheduling

The advanced planning and scheduling package provides the components required to extend the planning and scheduling functionalities of the featherlite core package for additional planning and scheduling requirements. The advanced planning and scheduling package contains components for remote fulfillment, policies for order nets to merge the activities for more than a single order as well as the data structures require to manage non-periodic work calendars.

Benefits:

Portability - 100% pure Java for platform-independence

Ease of installation - server component plug-in to extend featherlite applications through configuration

Ease of integration - services, queries and commands to extend featherlite core functionality

Content:

Remote Scheduling

In featherlite applications the fulfillment of orders using compounds as part of an order net is controlled by planning policies. Two different versions of planning policies are contained in the featherlite core package: a policy to insert the production schedule into the order net, creating one single data structure for the overall production schedule and one to create sub-orders for compounds and fulfilling them in a separate order nets in the same instance. The advanced planning and scheduling package adds a new policy to request availability and the production schedule from a remote featherlite instance. Using this policy you are able to extend featherlite applications to create hierarchical networks (collaborative agent networks) for planning and scheduling.

Production Run Planning

In featherlite applications the fulfillment of orders using compounds as part of an order net is controlled by planning policies. All planning policies shipped with the featherlite core package schedule exactly one order net for each requirement. The advanced planning and scheduling package adds a new policy to schedule all requirements on a compound within one single order to create a production run.

Non Periodic Work Calendars

In featherlite applications non working times are taken into account by checking work calendar policies. The work calendar policy shipped with the featherlite core package handles periodic work calendars only. The advanced planning and scheduling package adds a new work calendar policy to handle non-periodic work calendars such as vacations, maintenance downtimes and other non-periodic downtimes.

Usage:

The remote scheduling and the non-periodic work calendar policies are aimed for direct use in featherlite applications. The production run planning policy, on the other hand, is intended to provide a basis for the development of project-specific implementations, since we expect the rules used to production runs to be project-specific. The production run policy is desgined to be extended to meet project-specific requirements by overriding rules and conditions regarding the creation of a production run.

featherlite OR persistence

The OR persistence package provides the components to run featherlite applications using a relational database. The OR persistence package provides all components required to run featherlite applications with an underlying relational database as well as the user Interfaces needed to test and configure the database.

Supported (tested and in productive use) databases are:

DB2

Apache Derby

Oracle 10g

Oracle MySQL

Postgres

Microsoft SQL 2000, 2005 and 2008

For other databases, please contact support@componentsource.com.

Benefits:

Portability - 100% pure Java for platform-independence

Ease of installation - client and server component plug-ins added to existing featherlite applications through configuration

Ease of integration - built on top of the familiar Hibernate framework and implemented through configuration

Content:

In featherlite applications the persistent data layer is fully decoupled from the application logic. This enables featherlite applications not only to run using different database products but also using different persistence strategies (relational databases, NoSQL databases, object databases). By default, the core featherlite package does not contain a database but is prepared to bind a database to the application through configuration.

The OR package adds all components to featherlite applications required to run applications with an underlying relational database persistence layer. The OR package contains a persistence handler that is configured in the featherlite component configuration file, the data access objects and the object-relational mapping configurations. Additionally, the package contains user interfaces, services, queries and commands to test database connections, export schemas and import featherlite data model configurations.

Usage:

All components provided by the package are aimed for direct use in featherlite applications and can be activated through configuration. The OR components are build on top of the familiar Hibernate framework. To run OR persistence, you require an up and running database, JDBC driver and configuration for the database connections. To simplify configuration, the package contains a collection of sample configuration files for a number of standard databases.

featherlite S7 interface

The S7 Interface package is a bundle of components to connect the execution control functionality of the featherlite core package with a Simatic S7 shop floor controller. The S7 Interface package provides all components required to connect to a Simatic S7 PLC via TCP/IP, send and receive telegrams and to map featherlite control events to PLC components.

Benefits:

Portability - 100% pure Java for platform-independenc

High Performance - optimized to exchange more than 500 telegrams per second using a binary protocol with no overhead

Ease of installation - client and server component plug-ins are added to existing featherlite applications through configuration

Ease of integration - ready-to-use user interfaces for existing featherlite applications

Ease of development - implements the featherlite communication objects interface for shop floor integration

Ease of configuration - configurable mapping of featherlite events to PLC components and vice versa

Content:

In featherlite applications the link between the execution control runtime components and the shop floor controller is handled by policies called execution and confirmation policies. The S7 Interface server package adds the execution policies and other components required to integrate the featherlite execution control flow with a Simatic S7 controller. The package contains the Connection Handler with acceptors and connectors required to manage TCP/IP connections and the message exchange, converter and parser classes needed to map featherlite control events to protocol-specific exchange data and protocol-specific core telegram classes.

The S7 Interface client plug-in adds UIs to support development and runtime monitoring to the featherlite rich client, i.e. a view to monitor the telegrams sent to and received from the PLC and a view to send test telegrams from dialogs. Using the S7 Interface server and client components you are able to quickly implement applications to control complex processes on the shop floor (material flows, production schedules, and so on) through workflow modelling and featherlite execution control.

Usage:

Communication between control applications and the shop floor PLC controller is always project-specific. The S7 Interface provide a basis to enable developers to quickly create communication between control applications and controllers by focusing on logical mapping.

The execution policies shipped with the package can be extended by overriding the core execution policies and by configuring the logical mapping of control events to PLC components. On the other hand, the back-end infrastructure used to manage TCP/IP connections as well as the UI components to monitor, test and simulate can be used immediately.

featherlite Stoecklin interface

The Stoecklin Interface package is a bundle of components to connect the execution control functionality of the featherlite core package with a Stoecklin shop floor controller.

Benefits:

Portability - 100% pure Java for platform-independence

High Performance - optimized to exchange more than 500 telegrams per second using a binary protocol with no overhead

Ease of installation - client and server component plug-ins are added to existing featherlite applications through configuration

Ease of integration - ready-to-use user interfaces for existing featherlite applications

Ease of development - implements the featherlite communication objects interface for shop floor integration

Ease of configuration - configurable mapping of featherlite events to PLC components and vice versa

Content:

In featherlite applications the link between the execution control runtime components and the shop floor controller is handled by policies called execution and confirmation policies. The Stoecklin Interface server package adds the execution policies and other components required to integrate the featherlite execution control flow with a Stoecklin controller. The package contains the Connection Handler with acceptors and connectors required to manage TCP/IP connections and the message exchange, converter and parser classes needed to map featherlite control events to protocol-specific exchange data and protocol-specific core telegram classes.

The Stoecklin Interface client plug-in adds UIs to support development and runtime monitoring to the featherlite rich client, i.e. a view to monitor the telegrams sent to and received from the PLC and a view to send test telegrams from dialogs. Using the S7 Interface server and client components you are able to quickly implement applications to control complex processes on the shop floor (material flows, production schedules, and so on) through workflow modelling and featherlite execution control.

Usage:

Communication between control applications and the shop floor PLC controller is always project-specific. The Stoecklin Interface provide a basis to enable developers to quickly create communication between control applications and controllers by focusing on logical mapping.

The execution policies shipped with the package can be extended by overriding the core execution policies and by configuring the logical mapping of control events to PLC components. On the other hand, the back-end infrastructure used to manage TCP/IP connections as well as the UI components to monitor, test and simulate can be used immediately.

featherlite Utilities

The Utilities package provides the components to extend the core functionality of featherlite applications for special requirements outside the scope of pure planning and scheduling functionalities. The Utilities package provides components to manage recurrent jobs, log messages created from project-specific code and to transmit standard or encrypted, signed E-Mails.

Benefits:

Portability - 100% pure Java for platform-independence

Ease of installation - server component plug-ins added to existing featherlite applications through configuration

Ease of integration - ready-to-use user interfaces for existing featherlite applications

Ease of development - services, queries and commands integrate seamlessly to enhance featherlite core functionality

Content:

Recurrent Jobs

In featherlite applications workflows defining a structured set of activities, are used to schedule complex processes. In certain project-specific implementations simple recurrent jobs are required to perform some actions at periodic intervals. For this type of task, the use of featherlite workflow data structures would be a huge overhead. The featherlite Utilities package adds user interfaces, services, commands and queries to create, run and display recurrent jobs. Using these components you are able to extend your featherlite application with a recurrent job management.

Logging messages

featherlite applications use the familiar log4j logging framework to log the application trace. In general, users prefer to have some sort of messaging at a higher level than the administrative level of the log files. The featherlite Utilities package adds user Interfaces, services, commands and queries to create, display and manage messages for users from your project-specific code. Using these components you are able to extend featherlite applications with a comfortable messaging component.

Sending E-mails

Some featherlite applications may require the implementation of additional information systems used to inform the users of events. The featherlite Utilities package adds user interfaces, services, commands and queries to transmit standard as well as signed and encrypted E-Mail messages. Using these components you are able to extend featherlite applications most of commonly used information systems.

Usage:

All components in this package are aimed for direct use. Recurrent jobs can be easily implemented by adding service calls to jobs and by starting jobs by calling the relevant service shipped with the package. The same holds for the transmission of standard or signed and encrypted E-Mails.

Rapidly develop planning, logistics and manufacturing applications.

Pricing: featherlite OR persistence 1.0.1 1 Installation License, featherlite ADS Interface 1.0.0 1 Installation License, featherlite aps 1.0.1 1 Installation License, featherlite S7 Interface 1.0.0 1 Installation License, featherlite Stoecklin Interface 1.0.0 1 Installation License, featherlite utils 1.0.1 1 Installation License

Evals & Downloads: Read the Introduction to featherlite Framework, Read the featherlite Framework Documentation, Tutorial - Using the featherlite Planning Client Reference Implementation, Tutorial - Using the featherlite Execution Rich Client Reference Implementation, Tutorial - Importing and Exporting and XML Models, Tutorial - Using the featherlite Model Editor, Read the featherlite Framework End User License Agreement, Free featherlite core planning reference implementation, Free featherlite and Eclipse Plugin development package V3.6.1 - for Windows 32 bit, Free featherlite and Eclipse Plugin development package V3.6.1 - for Windows 64 bit, Free featherlite and Eclipse Plugin development package V3.6.1 - for Mac OS X, Free featherlite and Eclipse Plugin development package V3.6.1 - for Linux 32 bit, Free featherlite and Eclipse Plugin development package V3.6.1 - for Linux 64 bit, Free featherlite and Eclipse Web development package V3.6.1 - for Windows 32 bit, Free featherlite and Eclipse Web development package V3.6.1 - for Windows 64 bit, Free featherlite and Eclipse Web development package V3.6.1 - for Mac OS X, Free featherlite and Eclipse Web development package V3.6.1 - for Linux 32 bit, Free featherlite and Eclipse Web development package V3.6.1 - for Linux 64 bit

Operating System for Deployment: Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Linux Kernel V2.6.x, MacOS 10.6

Architecture of Product: 32Bit, 64Bit

Product Type: Component

Component Type: JavaBean

Compatible Containers: Eclipse V3.5

Keywords: Featherlite Framework, featherlite ads interface, featherlite aps, featherlite or persistence, featherlite S7 interface, featherlite stoecklin interface, featherlite utils

apixxo AG, apixxo

planning plan scheduling schedule schedules scheduler

Part numbers: PC-539723-376451 539723-376451 PC-539723-376449 539723-376449 PC-539723-376450 539723-376450 PC-539723-376452 539723-376452 PC-539723-376453 539723-376453 PC-539723-376454 539723-376454