Design and development of a placement mechanism for an automated packaging machine

Abstract

This thesis describes the development of an automated packaging machine capable of transitioning bulk vials into containers of 100 nested vials. Specifically, this thesis focuses on the design of an automated placement mechanism that is used in the packaging machine to feed groups of 10 vials into a tray for shipment. The placement mechanism is composed of a rake into which the vials are funneled, allowing the rake to push a line of 10 vials forward, dropping below into a tray. Creation of the placement mechanism aids the packaging machine automate the loading of vials, decreasing labor, increasing throughput, reducing packaging components, and implementing a layer of robustness to the process through automatic inspection and recording. An explanation of antecedent packaging procedure along with industry priorities are reported along with the methodology behind the mechanical design that went into creating the mechanism. The constructed packaging machine is theoretically capable of packing 30 packages per hour.