Semi-automatic bamboo-stripes machine for community handicraft

Abstract

          This research presents to create a thin bamboo-stripes machine instead of using manual labor for the handicraft. The machine consists of the mechanism for making or shaping bamboo to the desired size by using motor to drive a pulley belt, and an electrical control system for automatic controlling and displaying the consumption of electrical energy during working with a safety protection. The machine is compact and convenient for use in community groups or households. The capability results found that this machine could sharp the bamboo which were strong and had different types of bamboo skin. The machine cut the bamboo-stripes to the minimum thickness of 1 mm. Each 1-time operation could produce the bamboo-stripes into 2 pieces and create at least 200 pieces within 5 minutes. The automatic control could be effectively activated, along with the protected system which showed display the energy value on the panel. An experiment was carried out on 3 types of bamboo-stripes, which were the same length. It was found that the average quantity and quality of bamboo-stripes obtained no different. As the results, the bamboo-stripes shaping with a length of 60 cm and a thickness of 7 mm could produce 117 pieces per minute, and 7,020 per hour. The speed was better than the manual labor by 7 times which, the workers could make 1,003 pieces per hour, showing this machine could reduce labor and working time. The electric cost per month is equal to 356 baht and the investment cost is 30,000 baht as well as payback period of 15 days. The satisfaction survey of the user in community groups found that the overall average satisfaction of the machine user was the most satisfaction (=4.90, S.D=0.09).