Team Members & Role:

• Ian Teare-Thomas
• Vishal Gumidyala
• Liam Donovan
• Nilansh Shah

Abstract:

The smart pilot process automatically sorts, classifies, and dispenses skittles based on color. This equipment will be used in graduate manufacturing courses to teach and exercise smart manufacturing practices in line with industry 4.0. The return conveyor sub-system recirculates dispensed skittles allowing the machine to be used continuously without the operator having to reload the skittles manually. A custom design was required because all commercially available conveyor products are too big for this application, and or cost thousands of dollars. The design chosen to return skittles has three parts. First a catch pan placed under the dispensers of sorted skittles will catch dispensed skittles and funnel them onto a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt will be oriented diagonally since the dispensing step is on the opposite end of the machine from the feed step. The belt uses buckets to catch the skittles as the belt is at a very steep angle. At the top, the skittles will naturally fall out of the buckets into a collection bin, which will funnel the skittles into the feed hopper to start the sorting process over again.