Glossary · System coordination, integration and orchestration
Upstream machine
Also known as: Upstream station, Infeed machine
German: Vorgelagerte Maschine
In production lines, an upstream machine is a machine or station located before another one in the material flow, which supplies it with material, parts or products; the receiving machine is its downstream neighbor.
- System integration
In one sentence
An upstream machine sits before another one in the material flow and supplies it with material, parts or products.
Example
For the labeler, the filler is the upstream machine and the case packer is the downstream machine.
How it applies
- Engineering: Interfaces between upstream and downstream machines typically exchange ready, request and running signals, and sometimes speed setpoints. Specify both directions: what the upstream machine sends and what it expects to receive.
- Commissioning: Test the effect of stops in either direction: an upstream stop starves the downstream machine, a downstream stop blocks the upstream machine.
- Operation: Line start and stop sequences usually start downstream machines first and stop upstream machines first, so material does not pile up.
- Documentation: Machine manuals should describe the expected interface to upstream and downstream equipment. In line documentation, use consistent upstream/downstream terminology and a line diagram showing the flow direction.
Upstream vs. downstream
The terms are relative: every machine in a line, except the first and last, is downstream of one neighbor and upstream of another. Always state the reference machine to avoid confusion.