As colleges and trade schools across the United States attempt to increase the number of interactive elements in their Engineering and Engineering Technology departments, many smaller institutions are having trouble accumulating enough funding to purchase the necessary robotic systems and supporting components. In addition to the lack of funding, the market for “classroom” sized manufacturing systems is virtually nonexistent. Many students must find internships outside of their institutions to gain the higher levels of experience that they desire. To provide its students with more real-life education, the robotics lab at East Tennessee State University is trying to simulate an industrial work environment, where robotic arms can interact with conveyor belts. The conveyor belt workstations currently in the lab cost tens of thousands of dollars and only include a few small conveyor belts, a hand full of sensors and actuators, and their control boards. These workstations are not only expensive, but they are limited in their functions and potential configurations. The best approach to solving these issues is to create various small-scale, or modular, systems out of inexpensive parts from reliable sources. This method allows institutions to inexpensively replicate the systems that are commonly seen in manufacturing.
At present, only the basic, horizontal, conveyor belt module has been designed and tested. The goal of this sub-project will be to add a vertical conveyor belt module. The main function of this module will be to raise and lower items, so that the modular systems can be multi-level using the least amount of space possible. This will be accomplished by modifying the hardware from the base conveyor and experimenting with different belt designs to ensure the items will be able to be carried up without slipping off. The use of multilevel and overhead conveyor systems is a popular space maximization method in industry. The current systems rely on sloped conveyors to move materials to higher levels, wasting valuable space and time. A vertical conveyor belt would decrease the time and distance required to carry materials to various levels.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:asrf-1920 |
| Date | 07 April 2022 |
| Creators | Hart, Maverick, Marsh, Taylor M |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Appalachian Student Research Forum & Jay S. Boland Undergraduate Research Symposium |
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