Automatic Jar Opener

This was my final project in mechatronics which I took in the summer of 2023. With the press of a button, two clamps apply pressure to the bottom and top of the jar. Then, the bottom clamp rotates the jar while the top clamp holds the lid stationary until the jar is open.

Skills:

Motor selection
Mechatronic system design
Microcontroller programming
Power supply integration
Sensor integration
Circuit design

Features

Three DC Motors

Microcontroller supplies PWM signal to three DC motors which were selected to be able to handle torque from a tight jar. Each motor has a rubber wheel which applies friction to the glass jar to rotate it.

Stepper Motor + Force Sensor

The stepper motor turns the lead screw, linearly translating the wheel along the rail. The spring is in contact with a force sensor which when the threshold is reached, stops the stepper motor from moving the wheel to the jar as enough pressure has been reached.

Mason Jar Lid Clamp

Similarly to the bottom wheel, the stepper motor on top turns the lead screw which pulls the lid clamp towards the lid. Once the force sensor threshold is reached, connected to the spring, the stepper motor stops and the lid is clamped tightly.