Autonomous

Wire-Stripper
EE 300W
Section 006
Justice Lee
Levi Nicolai
Harvish Mehta

Abstract
When designing electronic circuits, stripping wires for circuit applications is time
consuming and tedious. An automatic stripper saves time and effort. The Autonomous Wire
Stripper (AWS) will be an all-in-one device that will hold, cut, and strip wires of different gauges.
Introduction
Stripping wire manually can be a complicated, time consuming task. The AWS is
designed for stripping the insulation of wire without nicking the metal interior. The AWS is useful
in many situations.
The EE stockroom (at Penn State) is packed with students that need supplies to
complete their tasks. Wires are in high demand, especially in EE210 and EE310.
Since the wires within the stockroom are kept winded around a spool, the student must first cut
out a length of wire then strip it. This repetitive task can cause congestion, because there are
few wire cutters and stripping wires is a complex task. To prevent congestion in the stockroom,
we propose an AWS to remove the time consuming process of stripping the wire. Furthermore,
the device will run on battery. Its mobility will reduce traffic in the stockroom. Finally, the AWS
will control the mess from stripping wires by holding insulation remnants within the device.
Rationale
Our project will automate the process of stripping wire, hold the remnants of the
insulation, and cut and store the wire spool. Automating the process of stripping wire will
remove the complexity in manually stripping the wire. Not only will the device be automatic, but
also portable due to an interior battery. Portability makes the device flexible to any situation. The
stripper is designed with a detachable bin to hold the remnants of stripped insulation. This
controls the clutter of the workstation. For convenience, the wire spool will be attached to the
side of the AWS. Wires can be measured out to specification then cut by utilizing an integrated
cutter. This will reduce time by having an all-in-one device at the workstation.
Figure (2) below shows the high level block diagram of the functionality of our project.
First the wire gauge is selected, and the wire is inserted into the appropriate gauge. When the
activation button is pressed, the blade and clamp will close. The blade cuts through the
insulation while the clamp holds the wire in place. Once the insulation is cut, the clamp will
move away from the blade, pulling the insulation off of the wire and into the attached bin.
Implementation
The body will be made from plastic (PLA or ABS). The packaging of the device will have
a rectangular prism shape with a 4 inch length, 1 inch width, and a 3 inch height. The AWS will
use an electronic blade to strip 10-24 gauge wire. The blade will be specifically made to cut
wires of different gauges without nicking the metal interior. This is accomplished through holes
in the blade matching 10-24 gauge wire (see Figure 1). A clamp will hold the wire and pull the
insulation off. A button will be used to activate the blade and clamp to cut and remove the
insulation. A wire spool holder and an integrated wire cutter will be attached to measure out the
wire and acquire the proper length.
We will use our background in electrical engineering, and professional experiences to
develop the AWS.

Conclusion
The AWS will be an all-in-one device that holds, strips, and cuts wire. The benefits of
AWS is the reduction in complicated, time consuming tasks, and clutter at the workstation.

Appendices

Figure 1: A 3-dimensional model of the wire-stripping device. The device has a series of
individual holes along the top for wires of different sizes. Off to the left size is a spool holder to
hold spools of wire.

Figure 2: High- Level Block diagram of the Autonomous Wire Stripper