Project Review P Automation/Improvement of Wegmans Cookie Line Packaging Project Team: Stephanie Rager (IE), Bruno Coelho (ME), Mark Voss (ME), Chukwuma Morah (IE), Brian Duffy (EE), Benjamin Powell (EE)

Project Overview Project Description: Wegmans bakes and packages all of their mini cookies at their bakeshop located here in Rochester on Brookes Avenue. Currently the packaging is done by six or seven people standing around a conveyor and pull the cookies into the clam-shell packages. The mini-cookie package calls for 397 grams worth of cookies but employees sometimes package up to 450 grams. This project will look into building an automated prototype that will separate the cookies into the correct amount by weight, which the employees can then package.

Economic Potential

High Level Customer Needs Must separate mini-chocolate chip cookies by weight Must reduce the amount of excess mini- cookies in package Must not substantially slow down process Must not be considered a capital investment Weight of cookie package Creates clear separation of product for packaging Percentage of packages with excess (2 or more) cookies (currently at 95%) Throughput Cost Key Target Metrics More needs and metrics were developed but it was decided that these would be the focus of the prototype.

Proposed Prototype Design Sifting Bar: Need 4.2 Metric 7 Push-Rod: Metric 6 Weigh Station: Need 1.1 & 2 Metric 1 & 2

Final Prototype System Design

Documentation for Implementation List of Normal & Abnormal Conditions Start Up Checklist List of Questions for Developing a Maintenance Plan Visuals Design for Pulling Stick These can be used as a basis for creating documentation for the implementation of the final prototype concept.

Results and Conclusions Move cookies into line  Re-designed funnel system  Eliminated the need for the sifter bar Move cookies onto weigh station  Flow down drop chute  Height and angle of drop chute Accurately weigh cookies  Scales were accurate within 1 gram  Drop chute accurately rotated Move cookies off of scale  Push rod moved groups off of scale quick enough

Results and Conclusions MetricMarginal TargetIdeal TargetOur Result Weight of Cookies422 +/- 5 grams397 +/- 5 gramsAverage of 409 grams % with Excess Cookies (for a fully implemented system) 60%0% 20% (still have packages with 2 extra cookies ≈ 25 grams) Throughput Full System: /-2.5% Prototype: 375 +/ 2.5% 6.25 packages per minute Full System: /- 2.5% Prototype: 425 +/- 2.5% 7.1 packages per minute 6.5 packages per minute Clear SeparationYes Cost of Prototype< $10,000< $5,000

Future Work Scale interface should be switched to Ethernet Improve user interface by adding speakers, screen, mouse and gui interface Alarm and lights for safety Training manual Full creation of the pulling stick design With knowledge of full implementation materials, a maintenance plan can be developed

Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge all of the people who have helped with this project: Scott Young and Chris Isaacson, for all of their support they provided us with during the creation of this project Professor John Kaemmerlen and Phil Bryan, for all of the guidance and advice they provided throughout the entire process from design to creation Dr. Christopher Hoople, for all his help during the design stages of the project and presence at our design reviews All the Wegmans employees who allowed us to observe them doing their job on the cookie line