Implementation of automation agents for batch process automation

To succeed on the ever-changing conditions on the global market, companies are required to rely on flexible production systems. This applies to numerous domains including batch process automation that relies on flexible multipurpose facilities. In this paper we introduce an agent-based approach for batch process automation showing an architecture for a multi-agent system that provides such flexibility. Closed-loop controls are of vital importance in process automation but rely on real-time capabilities not provided by regular agent-based communication. Therefore we provide a solution for real-time capable communication between physical components. To show the feasibility of our approach, we also present a demonstration implementation on a laboratory process plant.