Sean Burke, Zane Walas, Simon

Moattar, Nico Hadiaris

 Table of Contents
● Title page ----------------------------------------------- 1
● Table of Contents ------------------------------------- 2
● List of Individual Contributions to the Report --- 3
● Problem Definition ------------------------------------ 4
● Design Requirements -------------------------------- 4
● Conceptual Design -----------------------------------
○ Alternative Concepts
○ Evaluation of Alternatives
○ Selection of Concept
● Detailed Design
○ Main features and how they work
○ Results of analysis, experiments, and
models
○ Manufacturing Details
● Performance Evaluation
● Lessons Learned
List of Individual Contributions to the
Report
● Problem Definition - Sean Burke
● Performance Requirements - Simon Moattar
● Conceptual Design - Sean Burke
● Evaluation of alternatives - Nico Hadiaris
● Selection of concept - Sean Burke
● Detailed Design - Zane Walas
● Manufacturing Details - Zane Walas
● Performance Evaluation - Simon Moattar
● Lesson Learned - Sean Burke and Nico Hadiaris
Problem Definition
The conveyor belts at the checkout areas of grocery stores

are some of the dirtiest surfaces in the entire store. Especially

with the pandemic going on, it is important to make sure that

people can get clean food in a safe manner. Currently, cashiers

have to manually clean the conveyor belts with sanitizer after

every customer. This process is time consuming and inconsistent.

We want to design a device that does this job automatically, with

no lost time or inconsistencies.

Design Requirements
Our design strategy was to first come up with requirements

that our device had to meet. Then, we came up with concepts that
could achieve these requirements. Next, we combined these

concepts into design selections. Finally, we chose what we felt

was the best all around the design selection and went from there.

Performance Requirements

● Must be in sync with the movement of the belt

● Must kill 99% of germs, bacteria, and virus including Covid-

19

● Must do the above in 15 seconds or less

● Range of sanitation stretches entire width of belt

● Cannot obstruct movement or vision of customer or cashier

Conceptual Design

Alternative Concepts
Concepts Concept 1 Concept 2 Concept 3 Concept 4 Concept 5
(Right)

Functions
(Below)
Activation Motion Attached to Bluetooth Sanitation Pressure
Method Sensor on/off switch (No checkout device has its sensor on
of conveyor lines at all, own on/off conveyor belt
belt items are switch which
scanned with located near activates the
bluetooth as the conveyor sanitation
customers belt switch device when
leave, items it feels that
are not there are
sanitized) products on
the belt and
the belt is
moving

Sanitizer Spray/Mist UV Bulb Sponge Automaticall Bottom of

Dispenser underneath Which has y applied belt runs
the belt that been soaking wipes directly
shines on the in sanitizer is through a
underside of in position pool of
the belt where the sanitizer
belt is wiped
against the
sponge as the
belt moves

Type of Quaternary Material of In Store UVC light Bleach and

Sanitizer ammonium belt itself Sanitizer Between 200- water
(SteriTouch) (Already 280 nm
used) wavelength

Secondary UV light Heat Quaternary Bleach and Isopropyl

Sanitizer (To dry and ammonium water Alcohol
Method Sanitize) This
would need to
be at 133° F
or above

Conveyor Rubber edge Rotating Automaticall Towel in Wind dryer

Belt Drying like the ones Bristle y applied place after the (Like the
Method you use at a paper towels, point where ones in fast
gas station to like the sanitizer is food
dry your machines that applied bathrooms)
windshield automatically
after washing slide out
 it another paper
towel in
bathrooms

Evaluation of Alternatives
Combo 1:Motion sensor, Spray, Hot Water, UV light, Heat
Starting with the first part of this combo the motion sensor will allow the mechanism to conserve
energy and to not waste the potential sanitizer in use. The spray or mist mechanic will allow full
even coverage of the belt might create excess fluid or could lead to troubles with uncontrolled
moisture. This spray would need a way to contain the fluid in order to not have mold develop.
The type of sanitizer being hot water would be extremely hard to mechanise especially if it had
to be sponged or sprayed out. Also it would be less effective than alternative methods. UV light
as a secondary sanitizing method would work well because it sanitizes bacteria that the previous
sanitizer might have missed. It is also mess free and leaves no residue. The conveyor belt drying
method being heat would be slightly difficult to mechanise but would be effective in both drying
up sanitizer and in possibly disinfecting the belt further.

Combo 2: pressure sensor on top of conveyor belt, bottom of belt runs directly through a pool of
sanitizer, bleach and water, isopropyl alcohol, air dryer
The pressure sensor on top of the conveyor belt could detect when groceries are on it and know
not to sanitize while the groceries are on it. This is so it doesn’t sanitize the food. For the
sanitization dispenser, the conveyor belt would move and the sanitizer would stay fixed in one
position. This could sanitize the entire conveyor belt because it would sanitize as it moves.
However, it could be a little slow. The two types of sanitizers that were brought up were bleach
mixed with water, as well as isopropyl alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol could probably be on its own
since bleach is pretty strong. The bleach could also make your groceries smell really bad. The
drying method could be an air dryer like the ones some bathrooms have. It would also be kind of
loud and cumbersome for the employees and customers, however it would probably work pretty
well.

Combo 3: Another design combination that could work well would have the separate on/off
switch as the activation method, a spray or mist nozzle as the primary sanitizer dispenser, a
bleach and water mix as the primary sanitizer, the UV bulb as the secondary sanitizer dispenser,
UV light as the secondary sanitizer, and a rotating bristle as the conveyor belt drying method.
The on/off switch would be a good option because it is simple and we do not have to
interconnect the conveyor belt activation with the sanitation device activation, there would be
two separate switches. I have used a mix of bleach and water (1 gallon of water to ½ cup of
bleach) as a sanitizer for the Coronavirus in the past, so I know that it is a legitimate sanitizer.
This mixture would be applied via a spray/mist nozzle on the underside of the conveyor belt. The
next method of sanitization would be ultraviolet light shining on the conveyor belt, which has
been proven to disinfect surfaces and kill Covid-19. The UV light would shine on the whole
underside of the belt when activated for maximum exposure. Finally, the bleach and water
mixture would be dried off of the belt by rotating bristle device just before the upward rotation of
the belt.
Selection of Concept
Our mentor believes that combo 3 has the most potential for a design, but he is concerned about
the amount of time it takes to kill the Coronavirus using different santizers. He also suggested
that, based on his past experience, we should stay away from the spray and bathing approaches
as far as sanitation. Finally, he suggested that the sanitation device have the connected switch to
the conveyor belt because it keeps it simpler.
Detailed Design
Using a sleek undercover design our final product features a germicidal UV bulb fastened to a
wired connector. The metal casing allows for an isolated light on the surface of the belt. The
connector can link with the existing on/off controls in the belt or be built independently
depending on the existing systems. It spans the width of the underside of the belt for full
sanitization.

This final design allowed for a sleek undercover marketable look while maximising in product
efficiency. The simplicity of the design is meant to not add unnecessary complexity to the
existing systems at checkouts. The UV light saves resources and power while being more
effective as a sanitary agent. It also requires almost null maintenance and upkeep.
The Parts
-Casing
-UV Light
-Wired Connector

Casing

The casing is used to surround the entirety of the

product and provides a “shelter” to protect the UV
light from being shattered. The Casing is the better
of two designs we tried. The first design was square
with rounded edges and took on a more industrial look. We decided on the second casing
featuring a circular more sleek fit. This model better isolates the UV light and is more compact.
It features small screw holes on either side of the casing so it can be securely installed into the
under belly of the conveyor belts. We chose to make it out of Polyetherimide plastic which is a
recyclable and UV resistant plastic. We decide to use a plastic because the cost of production is
much cheaper and it is easier to mass produce the casing shape.

● Polyetherimide plastic
○ Recyclable
○ UV Resistant
○

UV Light
The Main sanitising component of our design is the UV light. Using
one UV tube light as shown the light is fastened into the connector
and shines on the surface of the belt. The UV rays are germicidal and
act as a sanitary agent for the product. This allows our design to have an
efficient use of energy and output

After a self run experiment using a simulated cough. We found that in

petri dishes with J-152 Sanitizer(currently being used in stores) a wider
range and amount of bacteria formed in comparison to the petri dishes
exposed to UV light. Also in smaller times of being exposed to the UV
light it was more effective in neutralizing the bacteria forming.

UV Lamp for UV-18,UV-18X UV Aire 46365402 UVC Germicidal Bulb

Connector switch
The connector switch is the home of the basic wiring needed
to operate the mechanism. Despite the option to attach the
machine to the on/off function of the existing belt, below is an
example of the potential function of an independant switch.
The wiring is simple and consists of copper wiring, one switch,
the bulb, a resistor, and a power source. It is also made out of
polyetherimide plastic.
Manufacturing Details
To manufacture this product you must use two casts of polyetherimide plastic, one simple

circuit, one UV light socket, and include an optional bulb . The casing and circuit casing must

be cast in either a mold or created in an automated chain of production. All plastic should be

made out of polyetherimide plastic. To create the circuitry you need copper wiring, one resistor,

a power source, one switch, and a UV light socket. It should be wired as shown and all wires

should be securely fastened. The UV bulb can be bought and should be a minimum length of one

foot. The length of the casing is also optional to match the width of the conveyor belt it is being

applied to. The UV light must be germicidal! We recommend using the UV Lamp for UV-

18,UV-18X UV Aire 46365402 UVC Germicidal Bulb that can be purchased by the

manufacturer or from Amazon. To produce the product you must first insert the UV socket into

the connector switch casing. Add the wiring into the connector switch. You can leave wires to

connect to existing on/off switches at registers or create an independent switch. The insert The
connector switch into the large casing. Sell the two plastics together using any long term binding

product.

Performance Evaluation
Based on the data we gathered from our experiment,

we can provide an estimated performance evaluation of our

product’s final design.

Experiment Data J-512 petri dishes UV-C petri dishes

# Bacteria colonies (15 sec 4+ / 4+ (8+ avg) 2 / 6 (4 avg)

exposure)

# Bacteria colonies (30 sec 2 / 3 (2.5 avg) 3 / 2 (2.5 avg)

Exposure)

#Bacteria colonies (60 sec 4 / 3 (3.5 avg) 3 / 1 (2 avg)

exposure)

The data for the UV-C light indicates that our product would be most effective if it is
provided with one minute of exposure to the conveyor belt. However, one of our main goals for
our design was to reduce the amount of time that customers spend waiting in the checkout areas
at grocery stores, and a minte of waiting is much longer than anyone would prefer.
Considering the conditions under which our experiment was run, we believe that fifteen
seconds of sanitation time would be acceptable. This is because while the most bacteria grew at
this level of exposure to UV-C light, the bacteria had three days to grow, under ideal
circumstances. In the actual environment where our product would be operating, things would be
different. The rubber of the conveyor belt is not agar, and it experiences much more air
movement, which is proven to stunt bacterial growth.
 For these reasons, we evaluate our product to be as effective as necessary after fifteen
seconds of exposure.

Lessons Learned
How would you redesign your machine to improve performance?

We believe that one of the most effective redesigns that we would have done would have
been to change the positioning and numbers of UV-C lights underneath the conveyor belt.
Instead of having the lights positioned at a 90° to the movement of the belt, we would have them
parallel to it. This change would allow the whole underside of the conveyor belt to be constantly
sanitized, as opposed to just the small section that is sanitized with our design. This would result
in a shorter time needed for sanitation, which is one of the goals of our design. However, a
singular UV-C light running parallel to the length of the conveyor belt would not have a wide
enough range of light to sanitize the entire underside of the belt. To cover the whole thing, we
would need two or possibly three UV-C lights. There are certainly other ways to improve our
design, but the ones discussed here are the most obvious to our group.

What general lessons did you learn about the design process?

Probably the most important lesson that we learned was that the design process needs to
be a team effort. Coming up with an idea is fairly straightforward, but making that idea into a
reality is not a single person job. Without everyone contributing, the design process is
impossible; there’s just too much work. Another thing that our group was surprised by was the
amount of detail that goes into the process. From an outside perspective, it may seem like you
just come up with an idea, draw it up, and then patent it. What you don’t know about without
going through it yourself are the details, like choosing specific materials, considering alternative
concepts, testing different aspects, and so on. While our final product may seem simple, lots of
things went into it. Finally, although this lesson may seem like a contradiction to the last one, we
found out that the best approach to design is often the most simple. Complex solutions have
many more parts and places that could go wrong, but simple ones are more consistent and just as
effective.

What general lessons did you learn about teaming?

After getting through this challenging semester, the biggest lesson we learned about
teaming was the importance of communication. Having online school made communication even
more important. Without having in normal school, there were no guaranteed opportunities to
meet and communicate our ideas. We definitely felt this absence, and learned how much we rely
on communication.