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Project Description
Pneumatic power has found great application in the engineering industry today. The are heavily used for automation to simplify tasks. A great deal of human effort and time is saved by its application. Through this project you will learn how to use pneumatic power to automate a task. This is a scaled down setup for an electro - pneumatic sorting machine that can sort objects based on their colour. Here, we will sort defective objects from a moving conveyor belt using a cylinder and optical sensor.
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Components
5/3 Solenoidal DCV : It is an electrically actuated direction control valve(DCV). It will allow or restrict air flow according to the signal it receives from the Arduino.
Double acting cylinder : It has two ports, one to extend the piston and the other to retract. You can also use a single acting cylinder with a spring returned DCV.
Arduino : Its a micro-processor for actuating the solenoidal DCV
Optical sensor : A ready made sensor available in market used to detect colours.
Air Compressor : To supply pneumatic power to the cylinder.
Hose : For making all the connections for the fluid flow.
DC Motor : To rotate the conveyor belt.
3D printed blocks, and conveyor belt stand
First connect the hose to the cylinder and the other end to the DCV. Arrange it on a board to plan out the spacing of the setup.Place the cylinder facing the conveyor belt. Fix the sensor at the start of the belt. Connect the pneumatic power supply to the input of the DCV.
Use any rough flexible material, like rubber for making the belt. It will be wound around two cylindrical tubes connected to a DC Motor to rotate it. Either 3D print the boxes and the conveyor belt stand or use any similar shaped objects.
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Connect the sensor to an Arduino and take that connection to the solenoids of DCV. When a box of flagged colour moves on the belt, the optical sensor signals the Arduino; then the DCV actuates. The air flows into the cylinder and the piston extends to knock out the object.
On Arduino IDE write a simple code which activates the DCV as a defective object comes on the belt. Add a time delay if needed. Load the code onto the Arduino board. Lets take two different coloured boxes white and red. White is the correct object and red is the defective object. So write a code to detect red colour.
Test the setup a few times to calibrate it. Check how to place the sensor so that it detects the colors. Check he hoses for any loose connections. The DCV should operate to extend the piston when it receives a signal. It should retract the piston once the object separated from the belt..
For the pneumatic supply you can use an air compressor. If an air compressor is not available then go for an an air tank. It connects to the DCV the same way as an air compressor would.
Once everything is set-up and spaced efficiently, fix them on the board. Operate the compressor with caution. Compressed air can be dangerous. Power the Arduino and the DC Motor using batteries. Place the boxes on the conveyor belt. If there is any defective piece, the cylinder will knock it out.
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