Design And Construction Of An Electronic Vending Machine

ABSTRACT

Shops are placed for people to go and buy something that they need. Unfortunately, they cannot go there at night as the premises will definitely close. Sellers and buyers might think is we can have a 24 hours shop in order to solve the problem. Yes, by having 24 hours shop, we can solve this problem but we need to think about other factors that might raised as a result of having 24 hours shop like the electricity usage factor, labour factor, security at night factor and many other factors associate with that. One of the solutions of replacing a 24 hours shop is by implementing a vending machine. A vending machine is a machine that dispenses product when a customer deposits a sufficient amount of money into a money slot. The money is accepted by a currency validator. It is a machine that provides various snacks, drinks and other products to customers.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0                INTRODUCTION

A vending machine is an automated machine that provides items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes and lottery tickets to consumers after money, a credit card, or specially designed card is inserted into the machine.^[1] The first modern vending machines were developed in England in the early 1880s and dispensed postcards. Vending machines exist in many countries, and in more recent times, specialized vending machines that provide less common products compared to traditional vending machine items have been created and provided to consumers.

Vending accounts for a significant portion of the sales and profits of beverage bottlers and snack makers. In 2000, vending machines generated 14% of total foodservice sales in venues such as college campuses, factories, businesses, hospitals, and schools. Bottlers pay colleges, schools, and other institutions millions of dollars for exclusive rights to place vending machines on campuses. Vended soft drink sales may represent only as much as 15% of a bottler’s total yearly sales, but that same volume could easily account for half of their annual profits.

The basic design of a vending machine begins with the cabinet, the steel outer shell that holds all internal components and which determines the machine’s overall size and shape. Inside the cabinet is a steel inner lining called the tank. The tank and the cabinet fit closely together, leaving enough room in-between for a layer of polyurethane foam insulation. In combination, the tank and the foam insulation help keep internal temperatures stable and protect products against temperature extremes outside the cabinet. Although all products and dispensing mechanisms are contained in the cabinet, in the strictest sense, they are actually installed within the tank.

The outer surfaces of the cabinet are coated with an acrylic powder finish that is baked into place. Powder coatings enable the machine to withstand extreme temperatures, salt or sand, abuse by customers, and other conditions requiring high surface durability.

To store and dispense products, can feeder stack columns or feeder trays are installed inside the machine. Each tray is equipped with a large rotating wire spiral that holds the products. Feeder trays slide in and out of the machine for easy maintenance and restocking of merchandise. The feeder stacks and trays also contain the motor controls that physically push the products forward until they are released from the stack and fall to the access area. When a customer selects a product, a rotor turns and advances a single item, dropping cans or bottles one at a time. In the same way, spirals on snack food trays rotate and push products forward until they fall off the tray.

Some vending machines, especially cold drink vendors, have two doors. The internal door seals the inside of the machine and provides additional insulation. The, outer door contains the electronic controls that allow customers to purchase and receive goods. The outer door also includes signage and illustrations, generally silk-screened onto a panel of Lexan that fits into the front panel of the door. Lighting for the front panel is generally installed behind the Lexan panels. The outer door includes heavy-duty hasps, locks, and hinges to deter theft and vandalism.

Electronic components, such as coin and bill validators, test coins and scan dollar bills that have been inserted to ensure that the cash is genuine and in the proper amount. A panel of control buttons lets customers make their selections. These buttons are connected to the motor controls of the feeder stacks and trays, activating the rotors that release products to the bins. Change-makers hold quantities of coins and release the correct change after a selection has been made. More recent machines may also include card validators for accepting debit and credit cards, LCD panels with pricing details and machine status information, and speech chips that give transaction details to customers by voice.

1.1                                                   AIM OF THE PROJECT

The aim of this work is as below:

1. To construct a vending machine which powered by solar cell instead of normal power obtained from power socket
2. To construct an automated machine that can vend a product to customer 24 hours a day
3. To design a vending machine that can be placed anywhere (outside the building)

1.2                                                   PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The objective of this project is:

1. To utilize the skills and knowledge that we have gained during our studies
2. To work independently with minimum supervision
3. To produce a project within a time frame given
4. To produce a spirit of team working
5. To build a good communication within the group member and with other people such as vendor, department, management as well
6. To furnish with experience, knowledge and skills throughout the process involves in producing this project
7. To gain experience in problem solving that we might be faced in future
   8. To be creative and innovative

1.3                                         SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT

Vending machine technology is used easily in the recent years to obtain a quick snack, It is used to dispense the products to the customers without the involvement of staff or the human assistance on a 24 hour basis, The cashier is ultimately unnecessary and yet it delivers the food of all sorts.

1.4                                          ADVANTAGES OF THE PROJECT

Vending machines have been used to serve the wide clientele with the variety of products handling from green grocery to processed products, The typical example is the snack vending machine that can be used for buying and selling of different kinds of snacks.

Vending machine is automated, So, you can use it when the transaction is done according to how the machine is programmed, Some Vending machines accept cash in the currency forms only while the others accept both the cash and the credit cards for the electronic transactions.

Vending machines have the mobility, They can be moved to the new places & they will continue delivering the services as usual, There is no cashier, They give the clients the free choice to purchase the products at any time of the day, You can shop for your intended product on a 24 hour, throughout the year.

Diversity of products which a vending machine can handle, The wide range of products can be sold using the machine as the fruits, the beverages, the drinks, and the cigarettes among the other products.

Most vending machines are convenient & they offer time-saving for the customers, They reduce the overhead costs by not hiring the staff, They increase the profit, They accept credit-card and they offer healthier food.

Vending machines work 24 h day 365 days a year , They need neither stuff nor specialized attention , They does not take a long time , You will need short time to keep them serviced and stocked with the products .

Vending machines only need the investment in the vending equipment, They do not have the advertisement and the marketing costs, You don’t have to pay the royalties, They are easily redeemable, No more problems with bad checks or credit risks.

They offer diversify products, The expenses are shared between to the businesses, They do not generate any remains or rubbish, They offer health products that are being widely welcomed such as the water, the milk, the natural juices, the cereals and fresh fruits.

Vending Machines are very easy to manage as nobody has to be there to sell any goods, You need only the machine’s installation and you can simply monitor its progress from afar, There are not any payment problems as the instant cash/card payment is needed to buy the items.

The operating vending machines have not overhead costs because you eliminate the need for the employees who sell the food, There are no monthly wages and pay rolls, and there’s no need for you to rent any extra work/office space.

Vending Machines save the time, No precious time will be wasted preparing the hot drink, as the vending machine can dispense a drink in around 20 seconds, saving the loads of time, With the vending machines, The employees will not need to leave the work site to get the food, meaning they are less likely to take a longer lunch.

1.5                                              PROBLEM OF THE PROJECT

Vending machines have many problems or disadvantages for both the owner and the customers, They give no provision for the bargaining, So, fixed prices apply and this may be unfriendly both to the customer and the owner.

Fraud cases are common in this kind of business by the customers who formulate means of hacking into the system of the machine to dispense the products, The heavy taxation levied on the sites of location may be the discouragement for this capital intensive investment.

There are great losses to the investor who faces the cases of destruction of the machine or the faulty programming such as the continuous dispensing of product due to the technical errors.

Vending machines are used to be displayed in the public places and they can suffer vandalism by the unruly groups or the jealous competitors, You must consider where you are going to start the vending business because some of the town taxes you should pay are expensive and some authorization such as the location permission are very difficult to get.

1.6                                              APPLICATION OF PROJECT

1. Foods and Drinks: Greatest application for vending machines is either food or drink or both! Snack and cold/hot drink are the best thing we ever get out of these machines. No big queues, no time consuming distance, no issue of unavailability at late night. Just get to any snack vending machine or drink vending machine and get your favorite food/snack straight into your hands! Latest technological development has led us to evolution of combination, vegetable, milk and even medicine vending machines.
2. For tickets sale: Ticket vending machine is another latest technological development in this area. It is used to sell tickets ahead of any specific event ranging from a local baseball game to a music concert to a drama show.
3. For Lottery distribution: Lottery is still in use and there are hundreds of thousands of people who love to buy and try a luck with it. For such people, this has been a great resource of getting instant lottery. No need to go to lottery store and no need to wait in queue, just look out for a nearby lottery vending machine, insert the coin, and get your lottery.