Whether you are a new vendor or a veteran operator, you must ensure your vending machine components are always in tip-top condition. With neglect, vending machine parts can break down, leading to out-of-service situations that inconvenience customers and location owners. Luckily, most vending machines in the market today have similar components. In this post, you will learn about these components and how they work.
Vending Machine Technology in 2024
The last few decades have seen a lot of advancements in vending machine technology. Modern vending machines are a lot smarter than the vending machines we grew up accustomed to. Today, you can expect a new vending machine to offer the following smart features
- Cashless transaction options. Vending machines have not been left behind as the world shifts towards cashless payment methods. Today’s machines accept credit cards and mobile wallets such as Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal, and Cash App.
- Touchscreen displays. Many modern vending machines are equipped with touchscreen displays. These displays are intuitive and simple to use. Through the display, customers can browse the inventory available, add products to a cart, see product ingredients, and check out.
- Age-verification systems. For age-restricted products such as cigarettes, alcohol, CBD, and vapes, digital age verification systems make vending such products convenient for the seller and the buyer. Age-verification systems utilize real-name authentication and intelligent facial recognition to verify the authenticity of scanned IDs.
- Inventory management. Smart vending machines allow operators to track inventory levels in real time. This allows vendors to reduce stockouts and costs associated with unnecessary restocking runs. Further, the data collected can help an operator better forecast future demand and make informed executive decisions about product mix.
- Predictive maintenance. Some modern machines have built-in monitoring of hardware and software to alert the vendor whenever there is a breakdown or an issue that may lead to a breakdown.
Primary Components of a Vending Machine
A vending machine will typically have the following components.
Bill Validators
Bill validators help a vending machine authenticate, accept, or reject notes. Bill validators have optical sensors that analyze the features of a bill (size, thickness, security features, etc) against preprogrammed markers to identify a bill’s denomination and confirm whether it is authentic. If it passes the authentication, the machine accepts the note, otherwise it is rejected.
As a vending machine operator, you need not worry about a customer using a fake note to buy products from your machine. Aside from inspecting the magnetic signature of a machine, modern bill validators employ additional measures to arrest counterfeit bills, including:
- Identifying the type of paper the bill is printed on
- Passing an electric current through the bill to test its conductivity
- Identifying the type of high-iron used to print the bill
- Illuminanting the bill to see how the bill casts a shadow
Note also, the bill validator failing is one of the most common mechanical issues you will face a vendor. When this happens, a note is likely stuck in the validator. Simply remove the bill validator, take it apart, and remove any stuck notes and foreign objects. Consider cleaning the bill validator every few months to eliminate dust and grease that may clog it.
Dispensing Tray
The dispensing tray is a rack that holds products in place so they don’t fall to the bottom of the vending machine. The best trays have simple designs and are polished to ensure they don’t hurt your hands. You can find a good spare dispensing tray for under $30, including on Amazon and eBay.
Credit Relay/Reader
More than 25% of vending machines in the United States now accept credit/debit cards. The number is bound to increase as research shows that simply adding a card reader to a vending machine can increase sales by as much as 42%.
Modern vending machines come with credit card readers or the option to install one sourced from a third party. You can get one from popular providers such as Nayax and Cantaloupe.
Can you add a credit card reader to an old machine? Yes, you can if your machine has MDB capability. MDB capability - Multi Drop Bus - allows a machine to communicate with cashless payment systems. The easiest way to know if the machine is MBD-compatible is to check the connector of the bill/coin validator. If it has six pins, it is likely MDB-compatible. The older vending machines that are not compatible will usually have a connector with nine or more pins.
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Coin Mechanism
A coin mechanism is an electromagnetic device attached to a vending machine to help it identify and validate coins. It utilizes light sensors to tell the size of a coin and the type of metal it is made of. The coin mechanism usually checks the following physical properties of a coin:
- The diameter of the coin
- The thickness of the coin
- The number of reeds/ridges on the edge of the coin
These properties help a coin mechanism tell coins apart. For instance, a quarter has 119 reeds, is 1.75mm thick, and has a diameter measuring 0.955 inches.
Refrigeration Unit
Food vending machines have refrigeration units to keep products at the desired storage temperature. The quality and performance of these units vary by machine. Proper refrigeration is essential in a food vending machine - ensure you buy your machine from a manufacturer with a reputation for building reliable refrigeration components.
Aside from reliability, you want to check the machine’s energy efficiency, as the refrigeration function consumes the most energy. Consider getting vending machines with ENERGY STAR certification, for they are 40% more energy-efficient on average.
Vending Motor
A vending motor helps a vending machine deliver products by transporting a product from the storage area to the dispensing area. The physical action required to do this vary by motor and can be as simple as rotating a screw for simple snack and drink machines.
Vending Locks
You want to ensure that customers or any third party do not interfere with your vending inventory or cash collected. Vending machines have a physical vending lock to help with security. Modern vending machines have different types of locks, including:
- Keyed locks. Operate using a physical key, and are the most common type of lock.
- Combination locks. They use letters or symbols in a keypad or dial which must be entered in a predetermined sequence to unlock the vending machine.
- Electronic locks. They grant access to the machine using preprogrammed codes.
- Biometric locks. Biometric locks in vending machines typically use fingerprint recognition software.
You must keep your locks in good working condition. Frequent cleaning and lubrication is beneficial, especially for keyed locks.
Control Board
The control board (or logic board) serves as the control system of the vending machine and helps execute all the machine’s operations. Control boards vary in complexity depending on a machine’s age, complexity, and features. Think of a control board like a motherboard that helps all the vending machine components discussed above communicate.
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