Document Type

Undergraduate Project

Date of Degree Completion

Spring 2024

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Engineering Technology

Committee Chair

Charles Pringle, PE or Dr. John Choi

Second Committee Member

Charles Pringle, PE or Dr. John Choi

Third Committee Member

Mr. Chris Berkshire

Abstract

The JCATI Carbon Fiber Recycler shreds, transports, and bakes carbon fiber within its system to recycle it by burning off the resin within the material at temperatures over 500 Celsius. The conveyance portion of the recycler, as it stood in previous iterations, has not been able to transport then batch the shredded material before going into the oven. Doing so would introduce more system independence without the need for someone to manually collect the shredded batches from the conveyor belt.

After designing the project in SolidWorks to meet the objective, it was manufactured using various methods. Some parts were purchased or donated to be a part of the assembly process. Some parts were created through processes done on the CNC machine. Many other parts were created through 3D printing, milling, band saws, and drilling and tapping by hand. The methods created many small parts to be part of an intricate assembly.

The project resulted in the successful production of a conveyance system which could collect, transport, and batch carbon fiber at a controllable rate. The conveyor belt moved at 1 foot per minute while carrying loads at 0-30 degrees of angle with a speed controller. The hopper was able to hold 30 square feet of shredded carbon fiber, and its motor could be controllable to batch and send off the fiber as requested by the oven every 30 minutes. By the end, 90% of the material was able to reach the oven through the belt and hopper.

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