Automated Material Transporting System

Sponsor: Sapa Industrial Extrusions

Team: Onenine Engineering

Coach: David Laws

Students: Brad Elmer, Matthew Hunter, John Pearson, Tyler Purcell

SAPA is a manufacturer of Aluminum Extrusions. One of their in-factory manufacturing operations involves moving the cut pieces of aluminum from the saw rails to racks that transport the cut pieces throughout the factory. The manual process was labor intensive and injury prone.

Onenine invented an automated transportation system that allows these pieces to be transported more safely and without injury. Previously, the workers had to lift the excess pieces by hand but with the new machine possibilities of injury are reduced because the system moves the pieces for the workers.