Design and Implementation of an Automatic Compactor System for PET using Hydraulic Elements

Abstract

The main purpose of this degree work was to design and implement an automatic system of polyethylene terephthalate compactor (PET) by using a hydraulic system. The automatic compactor system is formed by the container structure, the electronic system, and a control system by software. The container was constructed of galvanized steel showing resistance to external agents such as water and humidity, which protects the integrity of the internal electronic systems. The electronic system; was formed by two controllers: the main controller Arduino One; was programmed to handle communication with the load cells, and then, it sends this information to the Siemens Logo secondary controller. This secondary controller is programmed to the control of hydraulic solenoid valves since they handle control signals of 24 Volts, by generating actions to the activation of the hydraulic cylinder that compacts the plastic bottles at a calibrated pressure of 700 Newton. The plastic bottles were compacted previously to their control to avoid the entrance of bottles of another material. The control system was developed in LabView where monitoring and control of the automatic system in real time were performed with a friendly interface for the user. The compaction of plastic bottles PET made possible to reduce the volume of each bottle by 58%, reducing the volume occupied by plastic waste, and facilitating the recycling process of plastic bottles. It is concluded that the use of hydraulic technology in the compaction system, generated a high level of constant hydraulic pressure in the cylinder, thus getting an appropriate response of the automatic system, since leaks or pressure losses at the time of compaction are not generated. It is recommended to incorporate a human machine interface (HMI) to the system enabling users to see the information generated by the system in real time.