Senior Design Project
The Hardware Sorter
The hardware sorter had a simple purpose - to sort hardware. Specifically our team wanted to be able to sort nuts, bolts, and washers. The concept of a machine that sorts objects was very appealing to me, as systems such as these are needed in many areas of manufacturing. The complexity also presented a challenge, something else that made me want to choose this project.
Initial Design Process
A large part of the initial design process was figuring out the method of sorting that should be implemented. In order to make that determination, we first needed to lay out the design requirements.
Design Requirements and Restrictions
The design requirements were laid out in the project description before we picked which project we wanted to do. This project included these requirements:
1. The machine should sort a mixture of nuts, bolts, and washers by type and size: nuts > ¼”, bolts > ¼”, washers > ¼”, anything < ¼”.
2. The machine should achieve at least 95% accuracy.
3. The machine should sort at least ten parts per minute.
4. The machine should be self-contained and transportable from one location to another without
breaking and should not require a tether.
5. The machine should fit within a half meter cubed volume.
6. The machine must be transportable by a single team member.
7. Several safety features should be implemented and should be a primary consideration.
8. The machine should be professional in appearance and functionality.
9. The machine must remain stable during use.
10. The project budget is $1000.
11. The machine should filter out items that are not standard components.
12. The machine should identify rusty nuts and bolts.
13. An HMI should be used to control the system, including buttons to start and stop the process.
14. The dashboard on the HMI should include lights that indicate the status of the machine, including when the input hopper is empty.
~Requirements changed over the course of the project, need to add initial and final requirements
The project included a budget of $1000. The project was completed over two semesters, where the first semester was focused on planning and prototyping and the second semester was focused on testing and building the final project.
The Design Process
The initial design ideas were numerous and often flawed so I won't spend much time describing each idea.
Spinning barrel
Conveyor with paddles
Technical Specifications
Human Machine Interface
Testing
User Manual
