From Concept to Final Model

As project lead, I guided our capstone team to design a compact apple-sorting system that processes 100 apples per minute. The main objective was to help a local orchard avoid outsourcing to large-scale facilities while preserving fruit quality and meeting food-safety standards.

We started by confirming performance goals—high throughput, gentle handling to prevent bruising, and seamless integration into existing workflows. From there, we explored multiple conveyor-based concepts: some relied on tilt-tray mechanisms, others employed gated diverts. By holding iterative design reviews and consulting with orchard staff, we narrowed these ideas down into a single cohesive layout that combined reliable sorting with straightforward maintenance.

Our final deliverable is a comprehensive 3D CAD model that illustrates each subassembly, from the intake conveyor to the diverter stations and bin placements. In these drawings, we address real-world factors like ease of maintenance, risk of bruising, and spatial constraints. Each design element balances efficiency, safety, and durability, resulting in a well-documented blueprint that the orchard can use to fabricate and deploy its own in-house sorting solution.