VII - Conclusions and Future Work

The original aim of this mechanism was to crush a standard 12-oz aluminum soda can. Our final prototype attained the desired motion and sliding block displacement. Nevertheless, the motor that was chosen was not able provide sufficient input torque to successfully crush a can. If this project were to be continued, it would be necessary to replace the current motor with one that has a higher torque rating. Alternatively, it would be a good idea to incorporate a set of gears into the design. A smaller gear could be attached to the motor itself to drive a larger gear connected to the rest of the original mechanism. This would have the effect of reducing speed while maximizing torque. On the more practical side of things, it would be beneficial to add a ramp right above where the crushing occurs so that multiple cans could be dropped there at once. Upon activation, the can crusher would crush the first can and the next one would fall right in thanks to gravity, thus further automating the process.