Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (PCSIR) Labs.

Complex, Karachi

Magnetic-Ink Pad Pressing Machine

Design Team Dr. Mohammad Yaqub, CSO Arif karim, SSO Akhtar Ali Khan, TO Faisal Ghazanfar, SO Ajeet Kumar, JE Anees Hussain, TA Kashif Hussain, JTO

Acknowledgment Dr. Mohammad Yaqub, CSO Arif karim, SSO Akhtar Ali Khan, TO Faisal Ghazanfar, SO Ajeet Kumar, JE Anees Hussain, TA Kashif Hussain, JTO

Applied Physics Computer & Instrumentation Centre, KLC 22nd April, 2013

Background of the Project:

This project was initiated on Friday due to the urgent need of a padding machine for increasing production of Ink- pad as needed by election commission of Pakistan. Dr. Nighat Afza (Chief coordinator) of the project requested Dr. Mohammad Yaqub(Chairman QC-2) to make arrangements for increasing the productivity with quantity as committed with the client. Dr. Mohammad Yaqub along with his team visited the plant for finding provision for enhancement of the process. After detailed study and analysis of the process, bottleneck was found in the padding process and to coup with the problem following possible solutions was proposed: 1. Making of Manual-type padding machine as used by the contractor. 2. Making of an automatic roller-type padding machine 3. Making of padding machine (Roller Type) with conveyer belt for feeding and collecting and pads. 4. Automating the overall process of Dipping, Moving, Pressing, Weighing and Sorting the pads. After detailed discussion with the team members and the stack-holder, it was finalized to try the solution No.2 i.e. the Automatic roller-type machine, due to its simplicity and low cost involved. The idea was discussed with Dr. Nighat and Mr. Raoof, Eng. PPD. They allowed for the development work. An amount of Rs. 10,000/- was drawn with the approval of D. G and work was started on Friday (05-04-13).

Project Time Line:

Development work was started on 5th April 2013. The work was executed in the following phases/steps: The required components were purchased from the local market. It involves two-rollers with compatible AC- motor and pressing attachments. A basic apparatus was made for the padding process. The apparatus was tried for padding. Initially a weight of 35gm was achieved. The weight required for the final pad was between 25 to 32 gm, i.e. the apparatus need improvements. Two more motors were tried with the same assembly but he problem remained same. Finally it was decided to visit Shairshah-Market for suitable rollers and compatible Gear-Motor. A visit on Thursday (11-04-13) was made for Shairshah-Market, and after thorough searching of the market two rollers and a gear motor was purchased. On the next 2 days, mechanical work was carried out for its incorporation. The padding

process was tried and fortunately with the grace of almighty the required weight was achieved. On the next day a power supply along with speed/direction control was successfully developed and installed in the machine along with a pad-feeding tray and a plastic platform so as to collect the processed pads. On Tuesday (16-04-13) at 4:30PM, the machine was installed in the Pilot-Plant and around 1000 pads were tried for processing and around 25 were found below standard, i.e. giving efficiency of ~95%. At 6:00 PM Dr.Nighat visited the Plant and observed/ examine the performance of the machine and appreciated the team for their timely services/efforts. About The Machine:

About The Machine:

The machine is basically a paddler. It presses the pad for removing the extra ink in some tolerance range, like producing pad with final weight between 25gm to 32gm. In this way, it maintains quality with saving extra ink and thereby reduces cost price of pad. The machine is designed in a user-friendly way. Two screws/knobs were given for weight control, the user can adjust them to get the desired weight for pad. A metallic tray is given in the bottom to collect the removed in and its drainage to a reservoir so as to recycle it in the process. A direction-reversal switch is given to remove any stuck pad. Two plastic pate-forms are given in the machine for feeding and collecting ink-pads. The machine is single phase 220Vac. The salient features are as follows: Pressing speed: Power Consumption: Supply: Dimension: Weight: 750 pads/min 150 watt 220 V ac 3 x 1.5 x 2 ft ~5kg

Machine Description:
Rollers DC Gear Motor

Force Adjustment Screws

Pad Inserting Window

Tray

Electric Panel

Figure-1
Force Adjustment Screws Rollers

Soaked Pad Tray

Ink Drainage

Figure-2

Objectives
The main objectives are as follows: The machine will help in speeding-up the padding process, which will in-turn increase the production of ink-pad. It will work as a backup unit for presently installed machines for their any failure or shutdown. The machine has been developed from indigenous materials and components, so that its maintenance could be made low cost, easy and prompt as compared to the imported ones.

Achievements:
The major achievements are as follows: The machine has been successfully developed from locally available material and components so that its further development and maintenance can be made efficient. Presently the machine can produce ~750 pads per minute with around 3~8 percent rejection. The machine is single phase with a maximum wattage of 150Watts. The weight of the pressed pads can be controlled with two given screws as shown in figure-2. The speed and direction of the roller can be controlled as and when required. The machine is compact and light weight, can be handled even by a single operator.

Future direction:
As the machine uses DC-voltages, it can be easily backed-up by battery without any losses. In this way it can be run in case of power failure/ load-shedding. The machine can be modified by increasing the length of rollers so that more than one supply lines can be made and in-turn increasing the production. A conveyer belt can be attached for feeding and collecting pads. This will increase the productivity by optimizing skilled manpower and resources.

PREPARED BY:

------------------------------Mr. Arif karim Senior Scientific Officer -----------------------------Mr. Faisal Ghazanfar Scientific Officer

------------------------------Mr. Akhtar Ali Khan Technical Officer -----------------------------Mr. Ajeet Kumar Junior Engineer

CHECKED BY:
------------------------------------Dr. Muhammad Yaqub Chief Scientific Officer Head of Centre, APC&IC, KLC

APPROVED BY:

------------------------------------Mrs. Askari Begum Chief Scientific Officer Director General PCSIR Laboratories Complex, Karachi, Pakistan