Objective: Design a contraption that would pop a 5 gal bottle's cap in an industrial setting
Major Considerations:
1) Has to be pneumatically controlled
2) Durability is key as it is will be used consistently over extended periods of time
3) Has to be as simple as possible, using readily available materials, to enable mass adoption by factories
Solution: A scissor-like contraption, as shown above, was designed. It would go through the small hole in the middle of the cap and open up. This would increase its diameter and hence when the contraption is pulled out, it would apply enough force on the bottle cap to pop it out.
Major Considerations:
1) Has to be pneumatically controlled
2) Durability is key as it is will be used consistently over extended periods of time
3) Has to be as simple as possible, using readily available materials, to enable mass adoption by factories
Solution: A scissor-like contraption, as shown above, was designed. It would go through the small hole in the middle of the cap and open up. This would increase its diameter and hence when the contraption is pulled out, it would apply enough force on the bottle cap to pop it out.
The 5 gal bottle that is to be de-capped
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Shows how the de-capper fits into the cap
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A pneumatic system powers the bottle de-capper. A robotic arm guides the de-capper to the cap of the 5 gal bottle. When it is in place, the contraption above will be lowered into the hole of the cap in the center. When it is in place and the gripper is fully inside the cap, the actuator powered by gas-compression pushes the arm closer together, forcing the gripper to separate. This makes the diameter of the de-capper larger than that of the hole of the cap. So, when the arm pulls out, the gripper wedges the cap and it pops out.
The document below details the results of the project:
| results_bottle_decapper-2.docx |
Credits : Manu Vengeta Rao, Firdous Redhuan, Dr. Wieslaw Szydlowski