Semi-Automated Spice Packaging Machine for Middle Scale Business in Sri Lanka

Abstract

In Sri Lanka, small scale spice packaging businesses use traditional methods while middle scale spice packaging businesses use separate machineries for each individual tasks such as weighing, filling, and sealing processes. Comparatively, considering the higher demand for large-scale spice products in the market, they use highly expensive, technically improved, automated machinery. According to the researches and the site visits, it is observed that currently, there is no affordable packaging machine available in the local market for middle scale businessmen, which includes all weighing, filling and sealing processes in a single system. Therefore, it limits their profits and production. The current used methods in middle scale businesses cause high wastage of raw materials, less accuracy, less hygienic, higher labor costs, and low efficiency. This project proposes a semi-automated, Arduino based machinery for middle scale spice packaging business where a packet is fed manually to the system, while weighing, filling, and sealing processes are automated and sequentially completed. The operation of this machine can be carried out with an involvement of a single laborer. The designed product is pneumatic based and uses some sensors for position, weighing and level detection, heating element, stepper motors, pneumatic system components for smooth operation and Arduino as the micro controller to make it cost effective. With this innovative structure, three packets can be filled and sealed within fifteen seconds while the current used method takes fifteen seconds to complete this process for a single packet. Cost and time effectiveness, reducing ingredient wastage and labor cost are the main advantages of this project. Due to the COVID-19 health restrictions, the hardware implementation is partially completed but to illustrate the working principle and the design plan, a 3D animated model was implemented using SolidWorks, incorporated with electrical stimulation in the Proteus software package.