Equipment represents one or more physical machines, tools, or instruments that can create, use, store, move, or transform materials.

Equipment comprises all active processing elements that carry out physical processes in which materials are used or transformed. Equipment is a specialization of the Node element. Therefore, it is possible to model nodes that are formed by a combination of IT infrastructure (devices, system software) and physical infrastructure (equipment); e.g., an MRI scanner at a hospital, a production plant with its control systems, etc.

Material can be accessed (e.g., created, used, stored, moved, or transformed) by equipment. Equipment can serve other Equipment, and also Business Roles and Actors, and Facilities can be assigned to Equipment. A piece of Equipment can be composed of other pieces of Equipment. Equipment can be assigned to (i.e., installed and used in or on) a Facility and can be aggregated in a Location.

The name of a piece of Equipment should preferably be a noun.

Category: Physical Elements. Active Structure.

Examples: MRI scanner, Assembly line.


Source: Archi - The Free ArchiMate Modelling Tool - Hint for the model element.