I was working on a welding fixture project and wondered if it would be feasible to use an Arduino (any board for the most part) to regulate a series of solenoids based on inputs from a barcode scanner. The parts being welded already have part number barcode labels on them so I was hoping to utilize this information to regulate the welding fixture to prevent parts from being welded incorrectly.
EX: Parts come in, Welder scans barcode, a signal is sent to Arduino saying this is PartX, and then required selenoids open to activate pneumatic cylinders.
I am completely new to the Arduino world and I have been dabbling with an Uno but I am definitely willing to buy whatever hardware would be best to help me out on this project. I mainly need the scanner to be wireless however it is not critical but it does need to be a sealed unit to protect it from the welding environment. There are a few questions I am hoping for guidance on if there is anyone out there that would be willing to help me out!
Is this something the Arduino is capable of? There are approximately 10-15 selenoids that would need to be controlled individually.
Should I use something more like a RaspberryPI?
Are there any shields that would help the board interpret the barcode scanner?
It would be really tough, and require expert guidance, to have an Arduino work in the vicinity of an electric welder. You would need a very carefully filtered power supply, optocoupler interfaces for the logic to control the solenoids, and a electrically sealed, grounded metal enclosure.
Wireless communication is out of the question in the sealed metal box.
Thanks for those points to look out for! The power supply is on a completely different circuit than the welders because the welders are 480v 3p. Also, I should have described the environment a little better. I have the ability to keep the electronics a decent distance away from the actual welding taking place. my plan was to have the parts touching the fixture be pneumatic actuators controlled by the Arduino via pneumatic solenoids if that makes sense. Would a plastic container work for keeping the dirt and debris from the welding fumes out?
In order to make this safe, you need feedback to the controller that each solenoid valve has opened. Same with closing. When do you intend to close the valves?