Project Overview
- UL Solutions tests lawnmowers by ensuring debris is not ejected at unsafe angles
- Steel balls (Ø0.25", 500/cycle) are fired at the underside of the lawnmower via a pneumatic machine
- Deflection angles measured to verify safety
- Problem: Existing steel ball funnel to load pneumatic machine gets jammed
Design Process
Final Product
- Arduino-based embedded control system with potentiometer input for adjustable dispensing rate
- Turnstile mechanism driven by a motor driver for precise ball dispensing
- Vibrational motors and optimized hopper geometry to prevent jamming
- Custom-designed housing to integrate and protect electronics and mechanical components
- Designed for reliable performance under repetitive industrial testing conditions
Arduino
Analog Circuit Design
SOLIDWORKS
Design Controls
Product Testing
Product Verification & Validation