Robotic Screw and Bolt Sorter Seeks a New Challenge

According to Hackaday, an engineer named Aad had accumulated so many mixed bolts and screws that he built an automated sorting system to tame the collection. The system uses machine vision to identify each fastener's size and shape as it rolls down a conveyor belt, then a robotic gripper on a gantry picks it up and deposits it in the correct bin. What makes it impressive is how efficient the design is: Aad repurposed a 3D printer for the mechanical frame and controlled the whole system with standard components like servos, steppers, and a microcontroller. The system can also weigh objects and examine them under a microscope — and it's flexible enough to sort nearly any small items, not just hardware.

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