Automatic Sorting System for Educational Training

Abstract

At the same time as the introduction of automated equipment in industry, production operators and mainte-nance workers servicing automated stations require profes-sional training courses depending on the category and job. Depending on the particularity of the production process, these training courses can be done internally at the produc-tion unit, at external industrial partners or at universities. The paper presents an automatic tire sorting system made on a small scale. The sorting system is composed of an input stock and two output stocks of sorted tires. Tire stor-age in the two output stocks is done with an electro-pneumatic manipulator robot. The sorting is done according to the tire bead width, for which the system is equipped with the appropriate sensors. The structure is controlled by an Arduino Mega2560 microcontroller development system. The sorting station can also be controlled manually by the operatorvia a joystick and some buttons. In comparison to other sorting systems, the robot structure is simpler. It performs the transfer of the tires by only two movements, thus reducing the handling time. Also, the automatic sorting system realized corresponds to the requirements imposed on flexible production systems. The automatic system can be used both for training students from technical faculties and industrial operators in the field.