The purpose of this project was to design, build and test a low cost prototype that transfers compact discs (CDs) from a spindle to a computer based testing station. This will speed up the CD production/testing interface and eliminate the need for manual operation. Along with a heavy product design technical component, the project included a real life educational experience for the four students who got credit for a one year advanced senior project. Various designs were considered and the optimal design (based on cost and performance) was prototyped

Chen, John

Gabler, Hampton C.

Head, Linda M.

Ramachandran, Ravi P.

Schmalzel, John L.

English

DigitalCommons@CalPoly

      AUTOMATIC COMPACT DISC TRANSFER FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE TESTING Ravi P,. Ramachandran,r , John C.. Chen,, Linda M.. Head,, John L.. Schmalzell  and Hampton C.. Gabler Abstract - The purpose off this project  was to design,. build  and test a low cost  prototype that transfers compact discs (CDs)) from a spindle  to a computer  based  testing station.. Thisis will speed  up the CD production/testing interface and  eliminate the needfor manual operation.. Along  with a heavy productt design technical  component. the projectt included  a real life educational experiencefor thefour students who got  credit for a one year advanced senior  project. Various designs were considered and  the optimal design (based on cost and performance) was prototyped. ,Index Termss - automate, compact  disc,, product design,, prototype. real life educationall experience, INTRODUCTION University’sRowan rsity'  College of  Engineering is committed to providing  their students with significant laboratory  and design experiences throughoutt their full four years as engineering students.t . In the Freshman year they are given an opportunity  in the first semester  to explore all four of  the disciplines taught at Rowan (Electrical & Computer, Civil & Environmental, Mechanical, and Chemical) while learning about engineering measurementt techniques [1][2]. Then that same year in the second semester the principles of  design are introduced through the use of  an experience in competitive assessment  [3]. Small groups of  students work on the investigation  of  a single product  during the full semester. Along the way they are introduced to new analysis a “hands-ontechniques and computer tools while learning in "  minds-on”/ " method the multidisciplinaryli r  nature of  product  design. By the sophomore year these students are ready for the next stage - actual design assignments in a well supervised but  open environment.t. In the sophomore year the students are given a design assignment and, again in small (4-6l  students) groups they all work on a single design project [4][5]. We maintain the multidisciplinary  nature of  the design process by not grouping the students by discipline, even though at this point they have chosen their majors and begun taking the introductory  discipline-specific courses specified by their program. Also, written and oral communication  are given much emphasis. At the junior  and senior level, the students are ready to begin working on more real designlresearch projects. The Automaticworld /  Compact Disc (CD) Transfer project was assigned  to four juniorlsenior/ i r level students (two from Electrical and Computer  Engineering and two from Mechanical Engineering).. Four faculty members supervised the project.. which is described in this paper. Another  example of  a real world junior/senior level project is the design of  a portable, low cost and rugged solar lantern [6]. k i  DESIGN PROBLEM AND OBJECTIVE The problem of  automating a compact disc (CD) testing facility after CD production is an important problem to industries that mass manufacture compact discs [7][8].. It can be assumed that the CD production process is automated in that newly manufactured  CDs are placed on a spindle. The automation  of  CD testing avoids the need for a manual operator  who would otherwise randomly  selects several CDs and feed them to a testing system to verify  their integrity. The system performs various inspection tests to determine if  the CDs are satisfactory for recording and playing purposes and,, if  a problem or defect is found, the entire run of  CDs is more thoroughly checked and the problem  is rectified. The projectt objective is to design,, build and test a low cost prototype  which transfers CDs from a spindle to a computer based testing station.. This will speed up the CD production/testing interface and eliminate the need for manual operation.. Along with a heavy product  design technical component, the project  included a real life students whoeducationall experience for the four   got credit a onefor  year advanced senior project.  Various designs were considered and the optimal design (based on cost and performance) was prototyped.. PRELIMINARY DESIGNS The students were first taken on an industrial field trip to observe CD fabrication. For the prototype  configuration,ti , several design factors that the team considered were the placement  on the fabrication line, price comparison, and software development. Using these design factors and observations,, three separate preliminary designs were evaluated. “Pick Place”The first design consists of  two "  and " arms. It “Pick Place”t: requires two arms because  a " and " arm can only obtain two positions per travel and our project contains three separate positions. This design would be placed on the side of  the replication  line. It would pick the CD from the line at a stop position after the metallizer. The design would be housed on a cart with the CD reader 180 degrees behind  the first arm.. The second arm would be     placed perpendiculari lar to the reader  and retrieve the CD after inspection and place it onto a spindle (see Figure 1). The second design has a Berger  Lahr arm,, which  rotates about the Y-axis. The arm would be located at the end of  the line and would place a newly manufactured  CD onto a spindle.. The arm would then rotate past the spindle and place the CD into the reader. When the CD is finished inspection  the arm needs to pick up the CD from the reader, place it on the spindle, and then go back  to its home position  to retrieve the next new CD (see Figure 2). The third design also incorporates the Berger  Lahr rotating  arm.. Only one arm is needed  for this design because it can be programmed  to move to approximately 16 different positions.. The design includes the arm,, reader, controller,, and spindle.. This apparatus would be placed along the side of the replication  line (see Figure 3). These designs were evaluated based on complexity,, price, and availability. Design 1  was quickly eliminated due to its high cost and complexity.. Even though Design 2 is the least expensive, it was not pursued since extensive reprogramming would make the task even more difficult. Therefore,  the final design (Design 3) was chosen. Since it is a stand-alone system, it can be manufactured and tested  it in a lab before incorporation onto an actual productioni  line. DESIGNSIGN 3 - THEE CHOSENOSEN DESIGNSIGN Figure 4 shows the electrical  system of  the prototype design. The controller is placed  in the open. Therefore, a cover for the controller needs to be designed.. operators’ can’tThis ensures that the ' '  touch any open wires. A plexi-glass covering for the controller was used  thereby preventing physical contact without hindering visual inspection. The plexi-glass  was milled  to the dimensions of  the controller  with rectangular  pockets which allow it to fit evenly overtop. Finally small holes were drilled nto the controllerr itself,, and the covering was bolted  on. This unique design not only ensures that the user cannot touch any open wires, it also gives the project  a nice aesthetic look. The next step is to incorporate the pneumatics into the system. A cylinder controls the disc pick-up head. The air source must be converted into a vacuum supply to pick up the compact disc. Therefore, there is the need to use an air system to get the head to move up and down and to pick  up the disc. Figure 5  gives a diagram of  the pneumatic system. . After  designing the pneumatic system,, a five-way is 	 When air is supplied tovalve IS connected to the cylinder. one end of  the cylinder, a blow off  is needed  through the other end, otherwise the cylinder will never work. A coil is attached to the top of  the valve so it can shift from one path to the other. A two-way  valve is needed to act as a solenoid valve. This is connected in series with a venturi valve. The venturi valve transforms the airflow into a vacuum supply. The two-way  valve acts as an on/off  valve by turning the air supply on and off when entering the venturi. For the system, this valve is normally  closed because the vacuum is only required for short periods. Finally, software is written in the Berger Lahr langauge to control movementt of  the arm. Figure 6 is a photograph  of the finall design. SUMMARY The aim of  this project  was in designing,, building and testing a low cost prototype which transfers compact discs (CD) from a spindle to a computer based testing station.. This project  was extremely successful  both as a real life design experience for the students and as a learning for theexperience  faculty who were involved  in supervising “start scratch”a " from " productt design. The initial projectt definition  was not specific in terms of  the technical specificationsti s that were required.  Rather,, the charge to the design group was more general. We only had the finall goal in namely,, to an workingmind, " create economical prototype.. students,This created the ideal situation for our  they were faced with learning more about not theonly ~ technology but  also about the context in which the technology is to be used. This is a lesson that we often do not have “time” to teach our students in the typical" "classroom situation. b w a n  University’sRowa  it '  clinic program in engineering is the ideal place to explore not only traditional a placetechnical  design but also  where we can create for the students an opportunity to work on realistic engineering practice that we would all like our students to be aware of. LEARNING OUTCOMES The objectives of the junior/senior  clinic course are: 1 ..	 Demonstrate expanded knowledge of the general practices and the profession of  engineering  through immersion in an engineering project environmentt of moderate  to high complexity. Demonstrate2.	  an ability to work effectively  in a multidisciplinary team. Demonstrate3.	  acquisition  of  new technology skills through use or development of appropriate computer hardware, software,, and/or instrumentation.i . Demonstrate4.  effective  use of project and personnel ’ management techniques. 5.	 Demonstrate improved communicationi  skills including written, oral, and multimedia. Conduct  a patent search and write a patent disclosure for novel work. The project  described  in this paper  is an example of  1a one year junior/senior clinic experience. Table I gives the assessment results based on student feedback.. REFERENCES 1. R. P. Hesketh, K. Jahan, A. J. Marchese, C. S.. Slater, J. L.. Schmalzel,, T. R. Chandrupatla and R. A.. Dusseau, "Multidisciplinary“ r  Experimental Experiences in     the Freshman Engineeringi ri  Clinicli i  at Rowan University”,i r it ", ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition,, Sessioni  2326,, 1997.. 2 .. K.. Jahan,, R.. A.. Dusseau,, R.. P. Hesketh,, A.. J. Marchese,, R.. P.. Ramachandran,, S.. A.. Mandayam and J.. L.. Schmalzel,alzel, “Engineering in the Freshman" i ri  Measurements Engineeringi ri  Clinic at Rowan University",i rsity”, ASEE Annuall Conference and Exposition,iti , Seattle,ttl , Washington,i t , Sessioni  1, 1998.1326,, June 28--Julyl  1998. 3.. R.. P.. Ramachandran,andran, J. L.. Schmalzelalzel and S.. A.. Mandayam “Engineering of  an Electrictric" i Principles Toothbrush”, Proc.c. Con$ Amer.. Sessioni" 	 Edu..an! er.- Soc.c. Eng.g. ., 2253,1999.. 4. J. A. Newell,l, A. J. Marchese,, R. P. Ramachandran,r , B. Sukumaran and R.. Harvey,, "Multidisciplinary Design and Communication:i ti :	 A Pedagogicali l Vision",“, Internationalti l No. 5 ,  376--“Journal of  Engineeringri  Education,ti , Vol. 15,, .5, pp. ­382,1999., 99. 00000 5.. R.. P.. Ramachandran,r , J.. A.. Newell,ll, A.. J.. Marchese,, B.. Sukumaran,aran, J.. L.. Schmalzel,lzel, H.. Benavidezi  and J.. Haynes,s, .,“A Pedagogicali l Conceptt of Integratingt ti  Multidisciplinarylti i i li  Design Technical Communication”, ASEE Annualland ication", Conference and Exhibition,, St.t. Louis,i , Missouri,, Session 2325,, June 18--21,2000.--21,2000. 6.. L.. M.. Head,, G.. Canough and R.. P.. Ramachandran,r , "Design off a Robustst and Low Costst Solarl r Lanternt r  ass a One Semestert  Project”, ASEE Annuall Conference and “ si  j t", Exhibition,i iti , St.. Louis,i , Missouri,ri, Session 2793,, June 18--21,-- 1, 2000.. 7.. S.. Miyaoka,i , "Manufacturing technologyt l  of  thet  Compact Disc.” In B. Blesser,, B. Locanthi,i, and T.. G.. “ t i  ." Stockham,, Jr., editors,, Collected Papers off the AES Premiere Conference - Digital Audio,i , New York:: Audio Engineering Society,i t , 1983.3. 8.. K.. Pohlmann,, The Compact Disc Handbook,, 1992.. 1-7I ,..~ . ........ .. .. ..... ,.. 000 0 Figure 1: Design #1im       DesimFigure 2: ign #2 Player o 0 o 0 o o 0 o ~Sloppers Figure 3: Design #3     r-'-'-"-"-'-"1 II II r--t1t::::.----. _ .._, I IController I ! ! .................................  ~·~p"Oie·· ···············J .....................................~ .1 -,- - '-- ,...,~ ?o0LJ ~20VACI i .......................................i Arm I ~~.~.~.~ ........l pO8VAC~o·8···iiA"(~···..········iI : ji ................................. 1•....................................1I ~~ : : I 1 I Figure 4: Design of  Electrical System Figure 5: Design of  Pneumatici  System        Proiect DesigdLayoutFigure 6. Final j i n/  Question or Statement Mean Standard Deviation Studentsts self-rated ability on leadershipi  and project management skills 14.1 I 0.64 Studentsts self-rated ability on applyingi  engineeringri g theory and design 3.91 0.86 methodologyl  self-ratedStudentsts  ability on use of  advanced engineeringi  software 3.00 1.30 Studentsts self-rated ability on usingm  laboratoryt r  equipment andor/  4.52 0.86 fabricationi tion and testing Studentsts self-rated ability on creative thinking and problem solving 4.22 0.73 needed for the project Studentst  opinion of  whether their project could be the basis for a new 3.80 1.07 process or product Studentt assessment of the effectivenessess of their team 4.02 0.83 Table 1. Assessment Results (1- Poor, 2- Fair,, 3 - Average, 4 - Above Average, 5 - Excellent)) 

Automatic Compact Disc Transfer for Quality Assurance Testing

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Automatic Compact Disc Transfer for Quality Assurance Testing

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