A robot that assists in condom packaging and a unique vending design for machines are among the four key innovations developed by a group of engineering students interning at HLL Lifecare Limited (HLL) as part of the industry-academia linkages programme.
The cost-effective technology has been developed by students of Mohandas College of Engineering and Technology (MCET) in collaboration with HLL.
A team of five students each selected the projects to work on from a list identified by HLL. The four teams were guided by Cmde (retd) VN Ajit Kumar, a professor of mechanical engineering at MCET.
The 'Pick & Place' robot, powered by pneumatic actuators, was developed by Dhanush Abhijit, Allwyn Rana, Arjun Venugopal, Rohit Vijayan and Ramdas. The machine is used to pick up foil-packed condoms from a basket and place them on a hopper for packaging into cartons.
The robot developed by HLL-MCET is significantly cost-effective, since it is likely to cost below Rs 1 lakh and its operations are driven by software which makes it easier to modify and customise, a release stated.
Another team, consisting of Sichin C, Sharan Venugopal, Jithin Mathew, Uzair U and Rahul C Mohan, designed a dispensing unit for vending machines capable of dispensing up to three products instead of one. It saves on storage space and unlike conventional systems that dispense only rigid or semi-rigid packages, it enables dispensing of soft-packed products such as sanitary napkins and packets of milk.
MCET students Aravind R Pillai, Pavan Babu, A Lintu Tharian, Atul Prakash and Benraj RD have designed an indigenous 'Coin Validator Unit' for identifying Rs 5 and Rs 10 coins inserted into vending machines. Currently, validator units are mostly imported by vending machine manufacturers.
The fourth project by Ajan KA, Akhil B Chandran, Anoop Toby, Athul MR and Nithin GS, related to the standardisation of the usage of silicone oil in the condom foil. Silicone oil is expensive and a specific quantity of it is introduced into the condom foil at the packing station. The team developed methods for higher precision while dosing silicone oil into condom foil. This standardisation process is the first of the projects HLL is hoping to adopt. The company estimates the effective implementation of the process can potentially save silicone oil worth more than Rs 20 lakh a year.
HLL and MCET signed an MoU in February 2013 to launch an industry-academia partnership.
