Fruit Label Printer
Skills: C#, Cool Muscle PLC, PCB design, Mechanical Enginering
This was one of my the most enjoyable projects I ever worked on. Had a bit of everything. PC application, automation components, custom PCBs, mechanical engineering, it had it all. My role was as the company owner and leader of a 4 engineer team. In addition to managing, I also did a lot of hands on work.
When I took over a project it already had $1.5M spent with no results. The system, when I took it over, was totally PLC based with numerous programming, electrical, and mechanical issues.
System was revamped for $600k to a PC controlled system with modular PLCs for each print head connected by a serial port bus. Mechanics were redesigned to solve issues with switching between positive and negative air pressure as the rotor turns. Air handling system was changed from external solenoid valve based system to internal in-hub passive system engineered into the existing hub components (this was my idea and it solved a ton of problems.)
PC controller had a touchscreen interface that included everything. It even had a label designer to make custom graphics right there on the touchscreen.
The customer, Hurst International, was super pleased.
The final product consisted of a single column seven foot server case with a swinging arm mounted touch screen. Connected via serial bus were the print units which were all mounted onto a height adjustable frame. Each printer unit had a printer, a PLC-motor combo device, and the print label applicator cassette with twelve print cups, all mounted onto a frame. Each printer was interchangeable. The system was mounted above a fruit conveyor line with line inputs run into the system.
Using the touch screen the print units are setup to print certain labels based on conveyor inputs. Top speed was around 12 labels per second on each print head. On a 12 lane system 144 custom printed labels were applied per second. Super fast and unheard of at the time. Today the system runs even faster.