Objective

This project was in collaboration with a local industry partner, Universal Protective Packaging Inc. (UPPI), where we were tasked with developing a process monitoring system to update an industrial thermoforming manufacturing system. A data acquisition system was built on LabVIEW with integrated sensors to acquire previously unattainable temperature, pressure, and displacement data to optimize the thermoforming process parameters. Our team also integrated instrumentation for signal processing and performed device verification, validation, and conditioning on-site to ensure factory-floor workers could monitor sensor readings to make real-time changes to process parameters. 

We also developed a miniature system to perform a similar, scaled-down version of the industrial thermoforming process at UPPI. The miniature version allows us to validate and verify our developed monitoring system and instrumentation before being installed at the factory. Understanding the various simultaneous processes involved during thermoforming, such as the vacuum pressure on the hot plastic sheet while being pressed onto the mold was crucial.