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We have a claw machine that grabs a bunch ping pong balls that then drops them onto an incline that leads them to a 2 inch in diameter pvc pipe that they must all fall through.

The issue is that when dropping several ping pong balls at once instead of falling into the hole multiple balls will block each other from the entrance and they are so light gravity doesn't seem to help.

The balls need to be light as they are because they are shot through a leaf blower after falling through the tube.

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We've tried various shapes of inclines that funnel to the pipe. For example a bowl with a hole in the middle but that seemed to cause the same problem.

We are currently at a convention showing this so a solution that would require just a trip to a nearby cvs would be ideal.

Anyway we can make it so the balls don't jam themselves into the entrance?

Amy
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1 Answers1

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Figure 1. Option 1.

Try a baffle on the right. This should be a little less than the radius of the ping-pong ball so that balls approaching from the right will roll away from the hole and fall into the gulley some distance from the hole.

I suspect that the oversized rectangular opening is not helping. Try making it a little larger than required by the ball.

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Figure 2. Option 2.

Transistor
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  • Figure 1 seemed to work! Balls end up piling to the right of it but I don't mind as long as the tube is unobstructed. – Amy Jan 07 '23 at 17:25