Semi-Automating the Reloading of a Lamination Machine
Team Members Heading link
- Umesh Chaudhari
- James Jarr
- Thomas Mathews
- Yingze Sun
Advisor: Dr. Atif Yardimci
Sponsor: ACCO Brands
Project Description Heading link
The goal of this project is to redesign Acco Brands’ lamination machine, the Ultima 65, in order to load rolls of lamination safely while reducing the number of steps to load the lamination film. Due to infrequency in changing the film rolls, mishaps in loading the film can occur. The team members developed a system that will enable the user to load the lamination rolls while decreasing the number of steps, thus making it easier and more intuitive to load the lamination rolls. The group optimized the design by targeting the part of the operation that required the most steps and user interaction. Using actuators reduces the number of steps and interaction with the lamination machine while retaining safety. The user can load the film and then close the safety guard of the lamination machine, which engages the actuators to lock the lamination rolls into place. In order to meet the requirements of friction to prevent the lamination rolls from slipping, rubber is integrated into the supports that hold up the lamination rolls. The actuators will be powered and controlled using the existing power supply and circuitry of the lamination machine. No internal components are rearranged to accommodate design changes; rather, the new design is bolted on with slight modification to the screw thread locations.