A DC motor runs a conveyor belt to transport the pieces from the starting positon, through the sensors, and lastly, to drop them into the sorting tray. To sort each piece, the inspection system used three optical beam sensors, an inductive sensor, a reflective sensor, and a hall effect. The three optical beam sensors were used to track the position of each part in order to properly perform different tasks at the right time. The inductive sensor was used to differentiate between materials (plastic or metal) and the reflective sensor read ADC values to differentiate between type (black or white plastic, or aluminum or steel).

A stepper motor was used to drive the sorting tray to the correct position, initially using a hall effect sensor in order to properly orientate itself and keep track of its positioning.