Onion Sorting Machine

INDEX

SR. NO. CONTENT PAGE NO.

Abstract

1. Introduction

1.1 Problem statement

1.2 Objectives

1.3 Scope

1.4 Methodology

2. Literature review

3. System description

3.1Working principle

3.2 System components

4. Calculations

5. Software design

6. Advantages and disadvantages

7. Applications

8. Future scope

9. Conclusion

10. References
ABSTRACT

In the economic development of India, agriculture sector plays a key role. For the proper
price of any agriculture product, grading according to size is necessary. And it is also value
adding technique to the product. At present, size grading of most agricultural products
including lemon, garlic, onion, tomato, Orange, mandarin, apple are carried out manually by
farmers, agents, whole sellers, retail sellers and customers also. Most of farmers market their
products without any grading. Persons engaging in postharvest crop handling such as
collectors, whole sellers, retail sellers, and farmers cannot use high technical and costly
grading technique. And also by the local market survey it is found that retail market price of
the fruits is significantly varied according to its size.
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Onion is one of the important crops cultivated in India. India is the second largest
producer of onion in the world. Improvement of quality and value addition of
agricultural produces has gained higher concern in recent times in India due to creation
of new opportunities for sale of agricultural commodities in open market at
competitive prices. Until now almost everywhere in India, the onion grading is done
manually. The manual grading also need more labour. There is also lot of human errors
will be in the grading so we cannot clearly guarantee the highest fool proof grading
with the present way of grading. Now the need of automation arrives in the
agricultural sector also due to the higher competition from across the globe. So we
have to increase the quality and efficiency of the grading process. This type of new
ideas will surely help a lot of people, to focus back to agriculture and this will lead
to new innovations in the agriculture sector.

Apart from quantitative losses, quality deterioration and hence a reduction in the market
value due to use of improper post harvest techniques are common in agricultural commodities
in Sri Lanka. Improvement of quality and value addition of agricultural produce has gained
importance in Sri Lanka in recent times due to creation of new opportunities for sale of
agricultural commodities in the open market at competitive prices. This situation has resulted
in a growing awareness and increased demand for better market quality among consumers.
Improvement of product quality by grading according to the size will become even more
important in the future for Sri Lanka, as well as most of the other countries, entering into
international as well as regional trade agreements and thereby opening its market to the
outside world. The price of many agricultural produce varies significantly according to their
uniformity in size. Uniformity in size not only makes the product more attractive to
consumers but also improve its processing qualities. Therefore, size grading of agricultural
commodities to achieve uniformity in size is an important value adding technique to increase
their market value. The level of big onion production and prices shows an immense potential
for increasing incomes of local farmers. Profit from big onion is greater than other major cash
crops such as chilli and potato1 . Generally, it can be observed, that there is an appreciable
difference in the market price of big onion according to the size of bulbs. Graded big onion
bulbs according to their size fetches a higher price than the un-graded onions . Local farmers
sell their produce to the market without grading. Hence, farmers are getting lower value for
their produce. However, manual size grading of most crops are practiced by collectors, whole
sellers and retailers and thereby, they make higher profit than farmers.

Grading of these minor fruits is considered very important as it can fetch higher price to the
grower. Grading also improves packaging, handling and other post-harvest operations.
Grading is basically separating the material in different homogenous groups according to its
specific characteristics like size, shape, color and on quality basis. It saves time and energy in
different processing operations and reduces the handling losses during the transportation.
Normally fruits are graded manually in the country. Manual grading is an expensive and time
consuming process and even the operation is affected due to non-availability of labours
during peak seasons. Grading has been changed very little in the last fifty years. However, the
grading process has been fully mechanized. A mechanical grader consisted of a chain
conveyor belt, with a bag at the end. Smaller produce fell through the chain, making the
grading process easier. In Indian grading is still being done by hand. Labor shortages and a
lack of overall consistency in the process resulted in a search for automated solutions.
1.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT:
1.Design and develop onion sorting machine
2. To save time
3. Also fabricate the model of the same which will show the working desired by design
and develop of onion sorting machine.

1.2 OBJECTIVE:
To design and fabricate semi-automated machine which will help the farmers in sorting
out the tomatoes effectively. Proposed onion Sorting Machine will increase the rate of
sorting. It will reduce labour cost as only one labour is required to feed the onion in the
machine. This eventually reduces the yielding cost of farmer which in turn increases his
profit.

1.3 METHOEDOLOGY

Design concept generation refers to the actual conceptual design where the design concept is
an approximate description of the technology, working principles and form of the product. It
has a detailed description on how the product will satisfy and meet customer requirements.
Existing design constraints may even be solved by having a good development in the design
concept.

For this project, many alternative concepts have been generated. The various generated
concepts were then individually evaluated to find the most appropriate concept for the
product. The concepts that gave the most advantages were considered as the best concept and
a waits further evaluation. The product sketch for the chosen concept was further drafted.

Design concept generation is usually expressed in the form of sketches or rough 3-D model
sand often accompanied by a brief textual description for the overall design concepts.

 Literature review
 Identification of the problem
 Finding solution of the problem
 Data collection
 Design of product
 Market survey for required components
 Purchase of required components system
 Manufacturing and assembly
 Testing and experimentation
 Evolution of result of the project.
 CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Grader: A review of different methods of grading for fruits and vegetables
Dattatraya Londhe1 , Sachin Nalawade1:
Grading of agricultural produce especially the fruits and vegetables has become a
perquisite of trading across borders. In India mostly fruit growers grade the fruit
manually. Manual grading was carried out by trained operators who considered a number
of grading factors and fruit were separated according to their physical quality. Manually
grading was costly and grading operation was affected due to shortage of labor in peak
seasons. Human operations may be inconsistent, less efficient and time consuming. New
trends in marketing as specified by World Trade Organization (WTO) demand high
quality graded products. Farmers are looking forward to having an appropriate
agricultural produce-grading machine in order to alleviate the labor shortage, save time
and improve graded product’s quality. Grading of fruits is a very important operation as it
fetches high price to the grower and improves packaging, handling and brings an overall
improvement in marketing system. The fruits are generally graded on basis of size and
graded fruits are more welcome in export market. Grading could reduce handling losses
during transportation. Grading based on size consists of divergent roller type principle
having inclination, expanding pitch type, inclined vibrating plate and counter rotating
roller having inclination type graders. Weight grading based on density and specific
gravity of agricultural commodities. The need to be responsive to market demand places a
greater emphasis on quality assessment, resulting in the greater need for improved and
more accurate grading and sorting practices. Size variation in vegetables like potatoes,
onions provided a base for grading them in different categories. Every vegetable
producing country had made their own standards of different grades keeping in view the
market requirements. Agriculture is the back-bone of Indian economy as over 75% of its
population is directly or indirectly engaged in this profession. Beyond the traditional
agriculture, new trends in cropping pattern have been recognized for changing the status
of rural community. Importance of horticulture may not be ignored as the horticulture
sector contributes about 12% of value added agriculture. The production of fruits and
vegetables at present is 6.0 million tons and 7.0 million tons respectively and will be
enhanced to 9.4 million tons and 10.0 million tons, respectively in 2009-10 by
Muhammad and Muhammad (2007). Grading of these minor fruits is considered very
important as it can fetch higher price to the grower. Grading also improves packaging,
handling and other post-harvest operations. Grading is basically separating the material in
different homogenous groups according to its specific characteristics like size, shape,
color and on quality basis. It saves time and energy in different processing operations and
reduces the handling losses during the transportation. Normally fruits are graded
manually in the country.
2.2 Development of Affordable Machine for Sizing Egyptian Onion
H.M. Mostafa1 and A.H. Bahnasawy2:
Size grading is an important operation in food processing for the onion export industry in
particular. The aim of this work was to develop an appropriate machine for sizing onions,
reduce losses and reduce grading costs. Maximum sizing efficiency obtained was
94.9±2.82 % at zero longitudinal angle and at a belt speed of (0.23 m/s), while it was
94.5±3.69% at 10o longitudinal angle for the same belt speed. The overall average of the
sizing efficiency (94.33%) was recorded at 20o side angle and the highest grading
capacity (1.72 t/h) was obtained at 10o side angle and 10o longitudinal angle. Total costs
of grading the produce were 3.89 LE/t. (0.7 US$/t). This machine has the potential to size
other crops like potatoes, tomatoes, apples and citrus fruits.
Grading methods can be divided into subjective (organoleptic) and objective (technical or
machine based). According to Ajay et al. (2007), objective grading methods can be
divided into: mechanical (measurement of shape, size, volume, weight, density, etc.);
physical (heat conductivity, electrical conductivity, etc.); electromagnetic, laser radiation,
etc. The objective of this work was to develop an onion sizing machine capable of
working under different operating conditions (variable belt speed and side and
longitudinal angles), thus having the ability to size quality onions with reduced bulb
losses and costs.

2.3 Review Paper on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Citrus Fruits and
Various Techniques used in Fruit Grading System Based on their Sizes
Aniket V. Joshi Prof. N. P. Awate:
Most of farmers market their products without any grading. Persons engaging in post-
harvest crop handling such as collectors, whole sellers, retail sellers, and farmers cannot
use high technical and costly grading technique. And also by the local market survey it is
found that retail market price of the fruits is significantly varied according to its size.
Fruit grading by human is inefficient, labour intensive and errorprone. The automated
grading system not only time saving but also minimizes error. Improvement of quality
 and value addition of agricultural produces has gained higher concern in recent times.
There is a great demand for fruits in both local and foreign markets. The study are carried
out for the design of a machine which can be used to grade multiple fruits by making
adjustments. Machine should be simple to use so it can be operated by any illiterate
person also so that farmers can also use it. In this study, the various techniques and
mechanisms are studied which are used for grading the various fruits. Also study is
carried out on the physical and mechanical properties of various fruits.
in the “Vidarbha” region of Maharashtra, major production of citrus fruits takes place;
especially oranges. Maharashtra has gained 2nd rank all over India for production of
Sweet Limes. Yet, no any automated garading machines are developed for Indian Breeds
of Citrus Family which can grade all the citrus fruits. National Research Centre for Citrus
(NRCC) have developed a mechanical sorting machine which sorts’ Oranges
mechanically size wise, but it doesn’t sort the other fruits like amla, lemon. Some
research work is carried out for automated gradation of verities of lemon, oranges,
mangoes, tomatoes, and vegetables like onion and garlic but no remarkable research work
is carried out for Citrus fruits classification especially Indian varieties. There is a need of
Universal fruit grading machine which can be used for grading all circular fruits like
Amla, lemon, tomato, Orange, apple and vegetables like garlic, onion as per their size for
uniformity. It will be better to use one machine instead separate machines for separate
fruits. By the study of papers mentioned in this review paper, we come to know about the
parameters required like physical and mechanical properties of various fruits, variance in
diameters, angle of repose, factor of friction between fruits and metals for the design of
multiple fruit grading system which can be used for grading of various fruits. Also study
is carried out on the various techniques and mechanisms used to grade various fruits. by
taking in consideration all these parameters, we can design and develop a multiple fruit
grading system which can grade the fruits by changing some adjustments like repose
angle. but machine can grade one variety of fruit at one time.

2.4 Automatic Sorting Machine

Acy M. Kottalil

The Automatic Sorting Machine is used to sort different types of products or commodities
based on the barcode provided on them. This gives a provision to reduce the manual effort
and hence human error by replacing the conventional methods of sorting in areas involving
hectic sorting. The system comes into play in airports and other industrial distribution centres
where the products or commodities have to be sorted into batches in order to take them to
their respective destination. The products are put on a conveyer system where they are
scanned for the particular barcode provided on them. Depending on the barcode, they are
placed on the respective carriers automatically where these carriers dispatch them to the
corresponding destinations. In the present world, there are plenty of scientific innovations and
sophisticated technologies that has simplified human life and raised the standard of living.
Scientists are busy with the research and development works. Day-by-day scientists come up
with better ideas that make the life of common man more automated. As an attempt to
develop an automated set-up in whatever area possible which would further simplify human
life and make it easier, we ended up with the very relevant area of concern - sorting.

2.5 DEVELOPMENT OF GOOD’S SORTING SYSTEM BASED ON COLOUR

Ajay Sawant

The paper presents a smart approach for a real time inspection and selection of objects in
continuous flow. Image processing in today’s world grabs massive attentions as it leads to
possibilities of broaden application in many fields of high technology. The real challenge is
how to improve existing sorting system in the modular processing system which consists of
four integrated stations of identification, processing, selection and sorting with a new image
processing feature. Existing sorting method uses a set of inductive, capacitive and optical
sensors do differentiate object colour. This paper presents a mechatronics colour sorting
system solution with the application of image processing. Image processing procedure senses
the objects in an image captured in real-time by a webcam and then identifies colour and
information out of it. This information is processed by image processing for sorting
mechanism. The sorting process is based on a 2 phase operative methodology defined 1) a
selflearning step where the apparatus learns to identify objects ; 2) an operative selection
process where objects are detected, classified using a decisional algorithm and selected in real
time. The Project deals with an automated material handling system. It aims in classifying the
coloured objects by colour, size, which are coming on the conveyor by picking and placing
the objects in its respective pre-programmed place. Thereby eliminating the monotonous
work done by human, achieving accuracy and speed in the work. The project involves sensors
that senses the object’s colour, size and sends the signal to the microcontroller. The
microcontroller sends signal to circuit which drives the various motors of the robotic arm to
flick the object in the specified location.
 CHAPTER 3

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

3.1 WORKING DIAGRAM

3.2 WORKING PRINCIPLE

Onion grading machine consist hopper and the roller arrangement is powered by the motor.
The hopper unloading the onion on the roller cleaners. The cleaning is done on the roller by
rubbing action in between rollers and onion. After cleaning onion they are made to fall on
the screens arrangement . Now it’s the steps where from the actual grading of onion will
started. The screens are arranged in manner on the shaft with decreased in their specific
diameters of holes on the screens. The screens which are attached to the shaft which is driven
by electric motor. And there are rubber strips which are attached to the cylindrical body
.These strips are provided to prevent the blocking of holes. There is an outlet at each stage of
screening to carry out the graded onion. The strip is been provided in order to collect the
onion from screen to outlet.
Onion Standard Size

3.3 COMPONENTS DESCRIPTION

Belt conveyor

A Conveyor Belt is the carrying medium of automatic bottle filling machine. A Belt
conveyor consists of two or more pulleys with an endless loop of carrying medium–the
conveyor belt rotates about them.
 Fig. Conveyor belt

A conveyor belt is the carrying medium of a belt conveyor system (often shortened to belt
conveyor). A belt conveyor system is one of many types of conveyor systems. A belt
conveyor system consists of two or more pulleys (sometimes referred to as drums), with an
endless loop of carrying medium the conveyor belt that rotates about them. One or both of the
pulleys are powered, moving the belt and the material on the belt forward. The
powered pulley is called the drive pulley while the unpowered pulley is called the idler
pulley. There are two main industrial classes of belt conveyors; Those in general material
handling such as those moving boxes along inside a factory and bulk material handling such
as those used to transport large volumes of resources and agricultural materials, such
as grain, salt, coal, ore, sand, overburden and more.

Hopper
• A hopper is a large, pyramidal shaped container used in industrial processes to hold
particulate matter that has been collected from expelled air. Hoppers are usually
installed in groups to allow for a greater collection quantity. They are employed in
industrial processes that use air pollution control devices such as dust collectors,
electrostatic precipitators, and baghouses/fabric filters. Most hoppers are made of
steel. A storage container used to collect granular materials designed to easily
dispense these materials through the use of gravity. Part of an agricultural aircraft to
store the chemicals to be spread. Part of a combine harvester. Part of a wheel tractor-
 scraper to store the soil load. Hopper (particulate collection container), a large
container used for dust collection.

Electric Motor
Induction motors are the most used driving system, from fractional horsepower to
hundreds of horsepower, where speed rotation does not require varying. Single-phase
induction motors are largely used in low power applications. Thus bearing design
strongly depends upon the final application of the motor. The types of fractional
horsepower motors are:

Split-phase induction motors

This type of motor has good efficiency and moderate starting torque. They are widely used as
drive motors for washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers.

Fig 15.split phase

Capacitor start induction motors:

They have the same running performance as split-phase motors but a higher starting torque.
They are mainly used in washing machine drive systems.

Fig 16.capacitor-start motor

Permanent split capacitor motors:

High efficiency, quiet operation and continuous reversibility are the main characteristics for
this type of motor. This makes it suitable for use in a wide range of domestic appliances such
as washing machines, tumble dryers, fans and air-conditioners.
Shaded pole motors:

Fig 17 Shaded pole motors:

They are suitable for low power applications (less than 200 W). Typical use is in small
domestic fans.

Shaft
A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft is
a mechanical component for transmitting torque and rotation, usually used to connect
other components of a drive train that cannot be connected directly because of
distance or the need to allow for relative movement between them. As torque carriers,
drive shafts are subject to torsion and shear stress, equivalent to the difference
between the input torque and the load. They must therefore be strong enough to bear
the stress, whilst avoiding too much additional weight as that would in turn increase
their inertia.
To allow for variations in the alignment and distance between the driving and driven
components, drive shafts frequently incorporate one or more universal joints, jaw
couplings, or rag joints, and sometimes a splined joint or prismatic joint.
1. Bearing:
Construction and Types of Ball Bearings:
A ball bearing usually consists of four parts: an inner ring, an outer ring, the balls and the
cage or separator.

To increase the contact area and permit larger loads to be carried, the balls run in curvilinear
grooves in the rings. The radius of the groove is slightly larger than the radius of the ball,
and a very slight amount of radial play must be provided. The bearing is thus permitted to
adjust itself to small amounts of angular misalignment between the assembled shaft and
mounting. The separator keeps the balls evenly spaced and prevents them from touching
each other on the sides where their relative velocities are the greatest. Ball bearings are made
in a wide variety of types and sizes. Single-row radial bearings are made in four series, extra
light, light, medium, and heavy, for each bore, as illustrated in Fig. 1-3(a), (b), and (c).

Fig.16 Types of Ball Bearings

100 Series 200 Series 300 Series Axial Thrust Angular Contact Self-aligning
Bearing.

The heavy series of bearings is designated by 400. Most, but not all, manufacturers use a
numbering system so devised that if the last two digits are multiplied by 5, the result will be
the bore in millimeters. The digit in the third place from the right indicates the series
number. Thus, bearing 307 signifies a medium-series bearing of 35-mm bore. For additional
digits, which may be present in the catalog number of a bearing, refer to manufacturer’s
details.
 Fig 17. Ball bearing

Some makers list deep groove bearings and bearings with two rows of balls. For bearing
designations of Quality Bearings & Components (QBC), see special pages devoted to this
purpose. The radial bearing is able to carry a considerable amount of axial thrust.

However, when the load is directed entirely along the axis, the thrust type of bearing should
be used. The angular contact bearing will take care of both radial and axial loads. The self-
aligning ball bearing will take care of large
amounts of angular misalignment. An increase in radial capacity may be secured by
using rings with deep grooves, or by employing a double-row radial bearing. Radial bearings
are divided into two general classes, depending on the method of assembly. These are the
Conrad, or non-filling-notch type, and the maximum, or filling-notch type. In the Conrad
bearing, the balls are placed between the rings as shown in Fig. 1-4(a). Then they are evenly
spaced and the separator is riveted in place. In the maximum-type bearing, the balls are
a (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) 100 Series Extra Light 200 Series Light 300 Series Medium Axial
Thrust Bearing Angular Contact Bearing Self-aligning Bearing Fig. 1-3 Types of Ball
Bearings Fig. 1-4 Methods of Assembly for Ball Bearings (a) Conrad or non-filling
notch type (b) Maximum or filling notch type.

Maintenance and lubrication :

Many bearings require periodic maintenance to prevent premature failure, although some
such as fluid or magnetic bearings may require little maintenance. Most bearings in high
cycle operations need periodic lubrication and cleaning, and may require adjustment to
minimize the effects of wear. Bearing life is often much better when the bearing is kept clean
and well-lubricated. However, many applications make good maintenance difficult. For
example bearings in the conveyor of a rock crusher are exposed continually to hard abrasive
particles. Cleaning is of little use because cleaning is expensive, yet the bearing is
contaminated again as soon as the conveyor resumes operation. Thus, a good maintenance
program might lubricate the bearings frequently but never clean them.

Packing:

Some bearings use thick grease for lubrication, which is pushed into the gaps between the
bearing surfaces, also known as packing. The grease is held in place by a plastic, leather, or
rubber gasket (also called a gland) that covers the inside and outside edges of the bearing race
to keep the grease from escaping. Bearings may also be packed with other materials.
Historically, the wheels on railroad cars used sleeve bearings packed with waste or loose
scraps cotton or wool fiber soaked in oil, than later used solid pads of cotton.

Ring Oiler :

Bearings can be lubricated by a metal ring that rides loosely on the central rotating shaft of
the bearing. The ring hangs down into a chamber containing lubricating oil. As the bearing
rotates, viscous adhesion draws oil up the ring and onto the shaft, where the oil migrates into
the bearing to lubricate it. Excess oil is flung off and collects in the pool again.

Nuts and bolts:

A nut is a type of fastener with a threaded hole. Nuts are almost always used in
conjunction with a mating bolt to fasten two or more parts together. The two partners are
kept together by a combination of their threads' friction (with slight elastic deformation),
a slight stretching of the bolt, and compression of the parts to be held together. In
applications where vibration or rotation may work a nut loose, various locking
mechanisms may be employed: lock washers, jam nuts, specialist adhesive thread-locking
fluid such as Loctite, safety pins (split pins) or lock wire in conjunction with castellated
nuts, nylon inserts (Nylon), or slightly oval-shaped threads. The distinction between a
bolt and a screw is unclear and commonly misunderstood. There are several practical
differences, but most have some degree of overlap between bolts and screws.
 Fig. Nut and bolt

A nut is a type of fastener with a threaded hole. Nuts are almost always used opposite a
mating bolt to fasten a stack of parts together. The two partners are kept together by a
combination of their threads' friction, a slight stretch of the bolt, and compression of the
parts. In applications where vibration or rotation may work a nut loose, various locking
mechanisms may be employed: Adhesives, safety pins or lockwire, nylon inserts, or slightly
oval-shaped threads.

The defining distinction, per Machinery's Handbook, is in their intended purpose: Bolts are
for the assembly of two unthreaded components, with the aid of a nut. Screws in contrast are
used with components, at least one of which contains its own internal thread, which even may
be formed by the installation of the screw itself. Many threaded fasteners can be described as
either screws or bolts, depending on how they are used. Bolts are often used to make a bolted
joint. This is a combination of the nut applying an axial clamping force and also the shank of
the bolt acting as a dowel. Pinning the joint against sideways shear forces. For this reason,
many bolts have a plain unthreaded shank (called the grip length) as this makes for a better,
stronger dowel. The presence of the unthreaded shank has often been given as characteristic
of bolts vs. screws but this is incidental to its use, rather than defining.

Rubber strips:

Elastomeric connectors, also known by the registered trademark ZEBRA connectors,[1]

consist of alternating conductive and insulating regions in a rubber or elastomer matrix to
produce overall anisotropic conductive properties. The original version consisted of
alternating conductive and insulating layers of silicone rubber, cut crosswise to expose the
thin layers. They provide high-density redundant electrical paths for high reliability
connections. One of the first applications was connecting thin and fragile glass liquid crystal
displays to circuit boards in electronic devices, as little current was required.

Because of their flexibility, they excel in shock and anti-vibration applications. They can
create a gasket-like seal for harsh environments. Conductor material possibilities include
carbon, silver, and gold. The length, width and height may be specified as well as the stripe
pitch. Frequently a recess with ribs is specified that captures and provides the elastomer
reference surface for alignment (while allowing the lateral dimension of the elastomer to
increase as it is compressed) with a deflection stop to control the final part separation, and
alignment pins for substrate alignment.

They are used in two ways:

1.spacing of rubber conductive strips equals PCB conductor spacing, with the connector
precisely aligned;

2.spacing of rubber conductive strips less than half the PCB conductor spacing, without
precise alignment.

Fig. Rubber strips

CLACULATION
SOFTWARE DESIGN
What is cad?
Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computer systems (or workstations) to aid in
the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. CAD software is used to
increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve
communications through documentation, and to create a database for manufacturing.
CAD output is often in the form of electronic files for print, machining, or other
manufacturing operations. The term CADD (for Computer Aided Design and Drafting) is
also used. Its use in designing electronic systems is known as electronic design
automation, or EDA. In mechanical design it is known as mechanical design automation
(MDA) or computer-aided drafting (CAD), which includes the process of creating a
technical drawing with the use of computer software.
CAD software for mechanical design uses either vector-based graphics to depict the
objects of traditional drafting, or may also produce raster graphics showing the overall
appearance of designed objects. However, it involves more than just shapes. As in the
manual drafting of technical and engineering drawings, the output of CAD must convey
information, such as materials, processes, dimensions, and tolerances, according to
application-specific conventions.
CAD may be used to design curves and figures in two-dimensional (2D) space; or curves,
surfaces, and solids in three-dimensional (3D) space.

CAD is an important industrial art extensively used in many applications, including

automotive, shipbuilding, and aerospace industries, industrial and architectural design,
prosthetics, and many more. CAD is also widely used to produce computer animation for
special effects in movies, advertising and technical manuals, often called DCC digital
content creation. The modern ubiquity and power of computers means that even perfume
bottles and shampoo dispensers are designed using techniques unheard of by engineers of
the 1960s. Because of its enormous economic importance, CAD has been a major driving
force for research in computational geometry, computer graphics (both hardware and
software), and discrete differential geometry. The design of geometric models for object
shapes, in particular, is occasionally called computer-aided geometric design.
 CHAPTER 4

MANUFACTURING PROCESSES:

Manufacturing processes are shaft, Frame, Rotavator, hopper and plough. Manufacturing
processes are the steps through which raw materials are transformed into a final product. The
manufacturing process begins with the creation of the materials from which the design is
made. These materials are then modified through manufacturing processes to become the
required part. Manufacturing processes can include treating (such as heat treating or coating),
machining, or reshaping the material. The manufacturing process also includes tests and
checks for quality assurance during or after the manufacturing, and planning the production
process prior to manufacturing.

Fig.21 manufacturing process

METAL CUTTING:

Metal cutting or machining is the process of by removing unwanted material from a block of
metal in the form of chips.
 Fig.22 metal cutting

Cutting processes work by causing fracture of the material that is processed. Usually, the
portion that is fractured away is in small sized pieces, called chips. Common cutting
processes include sawing, shaping (or planning), broaching, drilling, grinding, turning and
milling. Although the actual machines, tools and processes for cutting look very different
from each other, the basic mechanism for causing the fracture can be understood by just a
simple model called for orthogonal cutting.

Fig.23 Lathe machine

In all machining processes, the work piece is a shape that can entirely cover the final part
shape. The objective is to cut away the excess material and obtain the final part. This cutting
usually requires to be completed in several steps – in each step, the part is held in a fixture,
and the exposed portion can be accessed by the tool to machine in that portion. Common
fixtures include vise, clamps, 3-jaw or 4-jaw chucks, etc. Each position of holding the part is
called a setup. One or more cutting operation may be performed, using one or more cutting
tools, in each setup. To switch from one setup to the next, we must release the part from the
previous fixture, change the fixture on the machine, clamp the part in the new position on the
new fixture, set the coordinates of the machine tool with respect to the new location of the
part, and finally start the machining operations for this setup.

Therefore, setup changes are time-consuming and expensive, and so we should try to do the
entire cutting process in a minimum number of setups; the task of determining the sequence
of the individual operations, grouping them into (a minimum number of) setups, and
determination of the fixture used for each setup, is called process planning.

These notes will be organized in three sections:

(i) Introduction to the processes,

(ii) The orthogonal cutting model and tool life optimization and

(iii) Process planning and machining planning for milling.

SAWING:

Cold saws are saws that make use of a circular saw blade to cut through various types of
metal, including sheet metal. The name of the saw has to do with the action that takes place
during the cutting process, which manages to keep both the metal and the blade from
becoming too hot. A cold saw is powered with electricity and is usually a stationary type
of saw machine rather than a portable type of saw.
 Fig 24.sawing cutting machine

The circular saw blades used with a cold saw are often constructed of high speed steel. Steel
blades of this type are resistant to wear even under daily usage. The end result is that it is
possible to complete a number of cutting projects before there is a need to replace the blade.
High speed steel blades are especially useful when the saws are used for cutting through
thicker sections of metal.

Along with the high speed steel blades, a cold saw may also be equipped with a blade that is
tipped with tungsten carbide. This type of blade construction also helps to resist wear and
tear. One major difference is that tungsten tipped blades can be re-sharpened from time to
time, extending the life of the blade. This type of blade is a good fit for use with sheet metal
and other metallic components that are relatively thin in design.

WELDING:

Welding is a process for joining similar metals. Welding joins metals by melting and fusing
1, the base metals being joined and 2, the filler metal applied. Welding employs pinpointed,
localized heat input. Most welding involves ferrous-based metals such as steel and stainless
steel. Weld joints are usually stronger than or as strong as the base metals being joined.
 Fig.25.weld

Welding is used for making permanent joints. It is used in the manufacture of automobile
bodies, aircraft frames, railway wagons, machine frames, structural works, tanks, furniture,
boilers, general repair work and ship building.

OPERATION:

Several welding processes are based on heating with an electric arc, only a few are
considered here, starting with the oldest, simple arc welding, also known as shielded metal
arc welding (SMAW) or stick welding.

In this process an electrical machine (which may be DC or AC, but nowadays is usually AC)
supplies current to an electrode holder which carries an electrode which is normally coated
with a mixture of chemicals or flux. An earth cable connects the work piece to the welding
machine to provide a return path for the current. The weld is initiated by tapping ('striking')
the tip of the electrode against the work piece which initiates an electric arc. The high
temperature generated (about 6000oC) almost instantly produces a molten pool and the end of
the electrode continuously melts into this pool and forms the joint.
 Fig.26 welding

The operator needs to control the gap between the electrode tip and the work piece while
moving the electrode along the joint.

Fig 27.welding process

In the shielded metal arc welding process (SMAW) the 'stick' electrode is covered with an
extruded coating of flux. The heat of the arc melts the flux which generates a gaseous shield
to keep air away from the molten pool and also flux ingredients react with unwanted
impurities such as surface oxides, creating a slag which floats to the surface of the weld pool.
This forms a crust which protects the weld while it is cooling. When the weld is cold the slag
is chipped off.
The SMAW process cannot be used on steel thinner than about 3mm and being a
discontinuous process it is only suitable for manual operation. It is very widely used in
jobbing shops and for onsite steel construction work. A wide range of electrode materials and
coatings are available enabling the process to be applied to most steels, heat resisting alloys
and many types of cast iron.

DRILLNG:

Drilling is a cutting process that uses a drill bit to cut or enlarge a hole of circular cross-
section in solid materials. The drill bit is a rotary cutting tool, often multipoint. The bit
is pressed against the work piece and rotated at rates from hundreds to thousands
of revolutions per minute. This forces the cutting edge against the work piece, cutting
off chips (swarf) from the hole as it is drilled.

Fig.28 Drilling

OPERATION:

The geometry of the common twist drill tool (called drill bit) is complex; it has straight
cutting teeth at the bottom – these teeth do most of the metal cutting, and it has curved cutting
teeth along its cylindrical surface. The grooves created by the helical teeth are called flutes,
and are useful in pushing the chips out from the hole as it is being machined. Clearly, the
velocity of the tip of the drill is zero, and so this region of the tool cannot do much cutting.
Therefore it is common to machine a small hole in the material, called a center-hole, before
utilizing the drill. Center-holes are made by special drills called center-drills; they also
provide a good way for the drill bit to get aligned with the location of the center of the hole.
There are hundreds of different types of drill shapes and sizes; here, we will only restrict
ourselves to some general facts about drills.

Fig.29 Drill BIT

Common drill bit materials include hardened steel (High Speed Steel, Titanium Nitride
coated steel); for cutting harder materials, drills with hard inserts, e.g. carbide or CBN inserts,
are used.

In general, drills for cutting softer materials have smaller point angle, while those for cutting
hard and brittle materials have larger point angle.

If the Length/Diameter ratio of the hole to be machined is large, then we need a special
guiding support for the drill, which itself has to be very long; such operations are called gun-
drilling. This process is used for holes with diameter of few mm or more, and L/D ratio up to
300. These are used for making barrels of guns.
Fig.30 Drilling machine

Drilling is not useful for very small diameter holes (e.g. < 0.5 mm), since the tool may break
and get stuck in the work piece; - Usually, the size of the hole made by a drill is slightly
larger than the measured diameter of the drill – this is mainly because of vibration of the tool
spindle as it rotates, possible misalignment of the drill with the spindle axis, and some other
factors.

For tight dimension control on hole diameter, we first drill a hole that is slightly smaller than
required size (e.g. 0.25 mm smaller), and then use a special type of drill called a reamer.
Reaming has very low material removal rate, low depth of cut, but gives good dimension
accuracy.

GRINDING:

Grinding, an abrasive machining process that uses a grinding wheel as the cutting tool, is
capable of making precision cuts and producing very fine finishes. The grinding head can be
controlled to travel across a fixed workspace or work piece can be moved while the grind
head remains in a fixed position.

A precision grinding machine consists of a power-driven grinding wheel spinning at the

required speed (which is determined by the wheel’s diameter and manufacturer’s rating) and
a bed with a fixture to guide and hold the work piece.
Fig 31. Grinding

The way the abrasive grains, bonding material, and the air gaps are structured, determines the
parameters of the grinding wheel, which are

 Abrasive material.

 Grain size.

 Bonding material.

 Wheel grade and

 Wheel structure.
INSPECTION:

Critical appraisal involving examination, measurement, testing, gauging, and comparison of

materials or items. An inspection determines if the material or item is in proper quantity and
condition, and if it conforms to the applicable or specified requirements. Inspection is
generally divided into three categories: (1) Receiving inspection, (2) In-process inspection,
and (3) Final inspection. In quality control (which is guided by the principle that "Quality
cannot be inspected into a product") the role of inspection is to verify and validate the
variance data; it does not involve separating the good from the bad.

Fig.32 Inspection

ASSEMBLY:

An assembly line is a manufacturing process (most of the time called a progressive assembly)
in which parts (usually interchangeable parts) are added as the semi-finished assembly moves
from work station to work station where the parts are added in sequence until the final
assembly is produced. By mechanically moving the parts to the assembly work and moving
the semi-finished assembly from work station to work station, a finished product can be
assembled much faster and with much less labor than by having workers carry parts to a
stationary piece for assembly.
 PROCESS SHEET

SR. PROCESS OPERATION MACHINE ELAPSED TIME COST

NO. /METHOD (RS.)

1. Base frame Cutting mild steel Chop saw 20 minutes 350

cutting L angle channel of machine
3mm thickness and
50 mm web*50
mm flange into
521 mm length

2. Base frame Cutting mild steel Chop saw 20 minutes 350

L angle channel of machine
Cutting
3mm thickness and
50 mm web*50
mm flange into
506 mm length

3. Welding Welding base Electrode 45 minutes 600

frame channel to
Welding
form a table

4. Cutting Cutting circular Chop saw 20 minutes 150

shaft of 15 machine
diameter to form
shaft

5. Press fitting Press fitting the Hammering 10 minutes 50

connecting bush to
sprocket

6. Press fitting Press fitting the Hammering 10 minutes 50

drive motor shaft
to main shaft
7. Welding Welding sprocket Electrode 20 minutes 150
onto the shaft
Welding

7. Drilling Drilling circular Radial drilling 15 minutes 50

holes to mount machine
output motor

8. Fitting Fitting bearing Welding and 30 minutes 50

blocks at both ends fasteners
of shaft

9. Welding Welding flywheel Electrode 20 minutes 150

to motor shaft
Welding

10. Fitting Fitting wheel onto Electrode 20 minutes 150

the shaft
Welding
COST ESTIMATION:

SR COMPONENT COST IN
NO RS.

1 Base frame 1400

2 electric motor 1200

3 shaft 600

4 screen 300

5 hopper 250

6 strips 400

7 conveyor belt 400

8 Nut and bolt 800

9 Fabrication and labour cost 3000

10 Assembly 2000

11 Other 2000

TOTAL 12,350 /- Rs.

CHAPTER 5

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES

• Simple to construct.

• Low speed motor is sufficient.

• Easy maintenance.

• Low cost

• Time save

• No need human power

APPLICATION

1. This system can be used in food industry.

2. It also for agricultural use in small as well large scale.

3. With some modification in screens it can be use for different agriculture product like
lemon, garlic, tomato, potato, Orange, mandarin, apple etc.
CONCLUSION

A manually operated onion grader has been designed, developed and evaluated. For
maximum response, the overall grading efficiency, required size grading efficiency and
grading capacity were optimized to 75 per cent, 75 per cent. Damage efficiency was nil.

Normally onion are graded manually in India. Manual grading is costly, time-consuming and
inefficient. Grading of onion is an important operation affecting the quality, handling and
storage of produce. This method is costly but higher accuracy of grading. Grading based on
size is easy and less expensive according to other methods of grading and used for grading of
potato, onion, tomato, apple etc. At these values, maximum sorting accuracy of 94.34% and
permissible mechanical damage 4.66% were obtained for grading of onion sets. These results
proved that, the proper operating parameters coincided with the theoretical considerations as
the relevant for machine operation.
PROJECT PLAN

C June July August Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

Search for
project topic

Literature
Review

Background
Study

Mathematical
calculations

Software design

Fabrication

Publication
REFERENCES

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destructive technologies for fruit and vegetable size determination – a review’, Science direct,
92, 119–136.

[2] Abd El-Rahman, Magda M, J. Soil Sci. and Agric. Eng., Mansoura(2011). Development
and performance evaluation of a simple grading machine suitable for onion sets. Univ., Vol. 2
(2): 213 – 226.

[3] Smita Shelke, A.P Phatale, (2013), International Journal of Innovative Research in
Electrical, Electronics, Instrumentation and Control Engineering An automatic grading
system based on machine vision. vol. 1, issue 4.

[4] Weilin Wang, Changying(2014), Size estimation of sweet onions using consumer-grade
RGB-depth sensorScience Direct. Li, 142, 153–162.

[5] D.Gunathilake, W. Wasala, K. Palipane, ‘Design, development and evaluation of a size

grading machine for onion’, Science direct, 6, 103 – 107 (2016), .

[6] Nikhil V. Kamthe., Akshay M. Kapare ‘International Journal of General Science and
Engineering Research (IJGSER)’ ISSN 2455-510X, Vol 3(2), 2017, 118-121.