Design and Development of Water Hyacinth Rolling Machine

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to design and develop a motorized water hyacinth rolling machine to replace the old-style hand-cranked water hyacinth rolling machine, and to test the efficiency of the new motorized water hyacinth rolling machine. This research was carried out at the Ban San Bua Bok handicraft production group, Ban Sang, Muang, Phayao. Normally, water hyacinth is rolled using a hand-cranked water hyacinth rolling machine with a maximum production rate of 30 g/min which is insufficient for demand and causes fatigue during operation. The researcher designed a new machine that used 2 rolling mills, and evaluated its efficiency by comparing production rates between the old and modern style machines. The results of the study found that the thickness of the water hyacinth after rolling using the new machine was in accordance with the Thai Industrial Standards Institute: Water Hyacinth Product (OTOP 39/2003). The capacity rate increased from 1.8 kg/h (old machine) to 3.0 kg/h (modern machine) representing a 60% boost in operational efficiency. In addition, the motorized water hyacinth rolling machine had a maximum capacity rate of 8.4 kg/h, with a highest specific power consumption of 33.87 kg/kW×h.