Hi All,
I am working on a project and would greatly appreciate if someone can provide feedback or suggestions. I am making a can opening device that should take in a standard 6oz can, remove its lid, and eject it back. The user would place the can on a tilted ramp so the can slides into the device, and after the top is removed and disposed, the can should slide out from another ramp minus the lid. I would prefer that the can be cut from the side instead of the top.
Is this something that is possible using gears and motors available on online robot stores? My current non-functioning prototype includes a wooden ramp with a hole. The can slides and falls into the hole. The rim of the can protrudes out 3 mm so the can does not fall all the way through and fits perfectly in the ramp hole, its rim supporting the can's weight. Next I use two metal gears on one side to rotate the can and, from the other side, use a 3 cm dia. circular steel blade to push and cut into the can's wall (near the top edge). Problem is that the pressure applied by the blade causes the can to stop rotating. The gears do not have enough frictional force to keep the can rotating and simply glide over the can's surface.
Based on your experience, can you please suggest a set of high torque low rpm motors/gears I can use to accomplish this task? Can you recommend any other configuration that can make this work?
Will greatly appreciate help.
Thanks,
Raza