Automated Wire Cutter and Stripper

Overview

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Penn State Behrend has a continuous need for breadboard jumper wires of varying lengths, and previously the school has used manual labor to cut and strip the large quantity needed each semester. However, cutting and stripping wires by hand is time intensive and has been found to be an inefficient use of resources. Our team faced several challenges such as the inability to meet in person from late November to mid-February because of the pandemic, working under a specific budget of $250, and following the School of Engineering lab safety guidelines.

Objectives

The objective of this project is to design and construct an automated system that cuts wires into specified lengths with both ends of the wire stripped.  This system not only should be low-cost and easily maintainable by the School of Engineering staff, but user safety must also be a critical focus of the design due to the cutting and pinching functionality of the wire stripper system.

Approach

• Requirements were set by the School of Engineering regarding what they wanted the system to be capable of. Once these requirements and constraints were fully established, the design process began. Numerous aspects of the design were discussed and debated from how the wire is fed to what will be used to control the various components.
• Using the previous team’s design as one alternative, and wire stripper systems found online as other alternative designs, the different concepts were weighed against each other using criteria based on the requirements. The team met frequently online throughout the course of the project. As soon as we were able to meet in person again, weekly meetings were conducted with our sponsor to gather data and exchange information.
• Software and CAD models were developed alongside 3D printed components and a functional prototype. We tested the equipment purchased to ensure that they were operational and a good fit for the system. We then tested our code and performed several tests of the individual components and the system as a whole. We were able to conclude that the machine is able to cut and strip both ends of the wires into specified length.

Outcomes

• The sponsor will save $200 per year as a result of this project.
• Production times were reduced by almost three hours per day.
• The project reduced assembly time and increased user safety.
• The project reduced the potential of human error.
• Reducing the amount of human labor required to produce stripped wires by hand will save our sponsor money and time.