Automated Hard Drive Identification & Sorting System

Led the design and deployment of an advanced automated robotic bin-picking system for SSD and HDD processing. The system utilizes a robot mounted on a 7th-axis linear rail, allowing it to travel the full length of the cell and service multiple pick and placement locations. Guided by a Zivid 3D vision system, the robot identifies and picks drives from an unstructured Gaylord bin before presenting each drive to a fixed inspection fixture.

At the inspection station, a Cognex barcode reader scans the drive and validates its serial number against a customer manifest database. Drives that match the manifest are automatically sorted into a secondary Gaylord for repalletization and shipment. Drives not found in the manifest are diverted to dedicated reject bins featuring a "bank teller" style safety mechanism, enabling operators to remove material without entering the safeguarded space or interrupting production.

Owned the project from concept through deployment, including:

  • System architecture and solution development

  • Mechanical design and overall machine layout

  • Electrical and safety system design requirements

  • Vendor management and coordination for UL-listed control panel fabrication

  • Machine Build, Integration, and Commissioning.

  • Collaborated with the computer vision team to develop and integrate the 3D vision system for unstructured bin picking and part localization, along with the barcode verification system, and worked alongside the controls engineer on PLC integration.

Key Technologies:

  • Robotic bin picking

  • 7th-axis linear rail integration

  • Zivid 3D vision guidance

  • Cognex barcode inspection and traceability

  • Automated sorting and repalletization

  • Industrial machine safety systems

  • UL 508A control panel integration