Design and Fabrication of Fully Automated Syrup Making, Filling and Capping Plant

In the digital world of Industrial Automation, microcontrollers are implementing new software technologies so that engineers can race to develop the best products that maximize the outcome. There is a scope and need for fully automated production and packaging lines in the industrial sector. In

Project Title

Design and Fabrication of Fully Automated Syrup Making, Filling and Capping Plant

Project Area of Specialization

Internet of Things

Project Summary

In the digital world of Industrial Automation, microcontrollers are implementing new software technologies so that engineers can race to develop the best products that maximize the outcome. There is a scope and need for fully automated production and packaging lines in the industrial sector. In order to have a learning experience of making a prototype for the industrial sector, This F.Y.P. is chosen to design and fabricate a small scale fully automated electro-mechanical plant for syrup making, filling and capping by incorporating microcontrollers. The aim is to increase the productivity of the whole process in terms of output.

This FYP can be divided into three different stations, which are as following:

1. Syrup Making Station
2. Filling Station
3. Capping Station

First, based on the user input, a calculated amount of syrup is made. This syrup is then filled into a container and send to a capping station (with the help of a conveyor belt system) where it is capped. A schematic of this whole project is shown in Figure 1.

We will demonstrate the Internet of Things technology at its rudimentary levels to make the whole process slightly more user friendly and efficient.

Figure 1 Proposed schematic/model of the Syrup Mixing and Bottling Plant.

P.S. :

Some reference youtube videos by which this F.Y.P. is inspired by:

• Mixing Station: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUQ8WaXAWAQ 
• Container Filling & Capping Station: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdXzMI1PXcs

Project Objectives

1. To design a fully automated small scale electro-mechanical plant for syrup making, filling and capping by incorporating microcontrollers.
2. To increase the productivity of the whole process in terms of output.

Project Implementation Method

The plant will be designed with the help of CAD software (e.g. SolidWorks) and the basic Machine Design knowledge.  Then an electromechanical system is to be designed consisting of commercial off the shelf sensors (e.g. infrared sensor), actuators (e.g. servo motor, stepper motor, relay switches, etc.) and microcontrollers (e.g. Arduino UNO, Node MCU, etc).

A wifi module will be used to send the data from different stations to the main server from where it will be sent to the cloud thus demonstrating the Industrial Internet of Things technology. 

Following an estimate process flow chart for the project:

Benefits of the Project

In the world of technology and Engineering Projects, there is always a scope for improvement. Industrialists are constantly looking for ways to improve productivity, quality, flexibility, safety and costs of the Industry. In the era of the 4th industrial revolution, the automated systems are the key to all the major problems mentioned above. This FYP is a prototype aimed to learn how to integrate the Components using Electronic Circuit and apply Automation.

There are many benefits to this project. Some of them are explained below: -

1. The major advantage of our project is that there will be no need for continuous supervision.
2. Work uniformity and accuracy (e.g. makes syrup with same composition and taste all the time).
3. Saves both times as well as cost as machines can work tireless hours and with a faster pace than human operators.
4. The machine is extremely responsive to market demands as the microcontroller can make any composition of the product depending on the market demand.
5. The user interface is much friendly because of integrating the system with IoT (as we can monitor and control the plant from anywhere any time through the Internet).

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

Syrup Mixing Station:

First, a container (e.g. hooper) is used for temporarily storing ingredients (like sugar). The lid of the container opened to add the ingredients to the mixing tank. This lid is controlled using a Servo Motor in order to control the flow of ingredients electromechanically. A calculated amount of liquid (like water) is added to the mixing tank with help of a solenoid valve. Then the mixing tank motor is started which is attach to a shaft with blades and the ingredients are mixed in the tank. These all processes are controlled autonomously with the help of a microcontroller. The 3D CAD Model of the fabricated Syrup Mixing Station is shown in the Figure 1 (below).

Figure 1: A CAD model for the Syrup Mixer
 

Filling Station:

After proper mixing, the mixture is filled into the containers in a controlled quantity.  Again, a solenoid valve is used to control the flow electromechanical. The containers are moved to the next station with the help of a Flat Belt Horizontal Conveyor Belt System (a photo of the fabricated Flat Belt Horizontal Conveyor Belt System is shown in Figure 3).

Figure 2: Syrup filling station schematic.

Figure 3: The fabricated and fully working Flat Belt Horizontal Conveyor Belt System.

Capping Station:

The filled bottles are transported to the capping station with the help of a conveyor belt system which is also controlled by a microcontroller. The filled container is now capped in the capping station and then send further down the line to end-user. 

Final Deliverable of the Project

Hardware System

Core Industry

Food

Other Industries

Manufacturing

Core Technology

Internet of Things (IoT)

Other Technologies

Robotics

Sustainable Development Goals

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com