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Constructing a vending machine from scratch( any help is appreciated)


Abazarali6

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I recently found this forum after a couple weeks of research into the vending machine buisness. I was thinking of vending a unique food product but the prices for vending machines are crazy! upwards of 2000 dollars per machine is just absurd. I figured that with some programming knowledge it can't be hard making a vending machine w/ an arduino board and a bill collector as it only changes between two states. however, I'm currently having difficulting brainstorming ideas on how to design the machine( do you know of an software to aid in the design process) or any ideas on how to design. and lastly, How would you construct a vending machine what parts and materials would be required?

the constructs of the project would be the design of the machine would have to cater to the unique food prodct. basically it's half the size of a doritos bag( minus the air).

My hope in making this post is that people could contibute their knowledge of vending machines as im lost in a sea of possibilities and lack of direction. If anyone has articles on people making their own custom vending machines, experience producing vending machine anything along those lines would be invaluable to me.

 

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By the time you perform all the tasks you are asking about from the design to the mock-up to the build to the testing to the operating, you would have hundreds or thousands of hours invested along with all the money you will spend building it.  You could save yourself all that wasted time and effort and just buy a good quality used machine that will handle what you want to sell.  Refurbish the machine, put whatever graphics you want on it and invest as little as possible into it because you don't know if your product will ever sell.  Single product machines are known for failing to sell that one product and if you have guessed wrong you don't want to have thousands of dollars tied up in the venture. 

 

Put your effort into marketing your unique food product instead, and get it known among your target audience so there will actually be a market for it.  After that you can decide if a dedicated vending machine is a smart move.

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I recently found this forum after a couple weeks of research into the vending machine buisness. I was thinking of vending a unique food product but the prices for vending machines are crazy! upwards of 2000 dollars per machine is just absurd. I figured that with some programming knowledge it can't be hard making a vending machine w/ an arduino board and a bill collector as it only changes between two states. however, I'm currently having difficulting brainstorming ideas on how to design the machine( do you know of an software to aid in the design process) or any ideas on how to design. and lastly, How would you construct a vending machine what parts and materials would be required?

the constructs of the project would be the design of the machine would have to cater to the unique food prodct. basically it's half the size of a doritos bag( minus the air).

My hope in making this post is that people could contibute their knowledge of vending machines as im lost in a sea of possibilities and lack of direction. If anyone has articles on people making their own custom vending machines, experience producing vending machine anything along those lines would be invaluable to me.

Adapt to something that already exists - 2 grand won't get you squat if you're starting from scratch (it wouldn't begin to pay for a custom control board).  If you're vending something that small, use candy coils with maybe dual spiral motors, both of which are currently available.

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