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Pneumatically Actuated Rubber Compression Moulding Machine
Pneumatically Actuated Rubber Compression Moulding Machine
INTRODUCTION
There is a difference between a product and a project. What we have tried to come
up with in this project is a concept of a product which has a true marketing potential. This
may not be the most ambitious project ever attempted in this college but it sure is one of
Rubber components form an integral part of most of the things we use daily,
be it automobiles, machines, household appliances (e.g. fans, mixer grinders etc.) or show
pieces. This is because rubber has some unique properties which are not found in any other
but due to some unique properties of rubber which include low temperature required to
bring rubber to plastic stage and curing of rubber required to give it adequate strength have
showed that most are fully manual, flywheel operated machines with low output rates.
Most owners want to upgrade to hydraulically operated automatic machines but the cost of
Moulding Machine” is a project to prove the viability of pneumatic power for the
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operation of such machines. Pneumatic power is cheaper than hydraulic power because of
system .
2. A single air compressor can power multiple machines but hydraulic machines
3. The expense of oil required for a hydraulic systems can be saved as air is free.
4. Many workshops, puncture repair shops etc, have air compressors, which are
usually under utilized and so would require very little investment to install such
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B) SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
that these manual, flywheel operated machines require upto 3 operators. Two to operate the
What our project intends to achieve is to eliminate the flywheel & replace it
by a pneumatic power source to operate the pressure plate and in the process eliminating
the two workers required to operate the flywheel. Pneumatic power was chosen because :
1. The advantages of pneumatics over hydraulics power for the said purpose as stated in
2. Because we found that most workshops & puncture repair shops have idle air
compressors available. Thus such workshops or puncture repair shops can start a side
business requiring just a single operator to manufacture rubber components with very
little investment.
Especially we found that a puncture repair shop has both the raw material
i.e. rubber (from tyres and tubes) which are used to manufacture low cost rubber
components and vastly underutilized air compressor. They usually have a single person
manning the shop who is mostly idle. Such shops can very easily afford this type of
machine and start a side business giving high profits that too with very little investment
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2. SOME ASPECTS OF RUBBER
molecular weight compounds which are predominantly organic, consisting of long chain
molecules made up of repeating units usually on a backbone of carbon atoms. These high
molecular weight polymers have a lower temperature limit to their plastic state. .
Types of Rubber :-
a) Natural Rubber
b) Synthetic Rubber
v) Poly butadiene
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Physical properties of Rubber
Max. Min.
a) Viscosity (stokes) 73 14
b) Ultimate tensile strength ( kg/cm2 ) 200 160
c) Ultimate elongation Percentage 1200 800
d) Modulus 96 25
i) Rubber compounding:-
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Additives used for rubber compounding
3) Sulphur ( Vulcanization )
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Additives Used for General Rubber Product
( Accelerator )
9. Mercapto di Benzthiozyl di Sulphide 1.4
( Accelerator ) (MBTS)
10. Dioctyl pthalate - ( Plasticizer ) 2.5
ii) Vulcanization :-
particularly with the emphasis on higher production rates and new techniques is the control
of chemical reactions leading to cross linking & bonding to metals , fabrics and rubber
break down.
of the formed product. Basically, the process is that of applying heat at a certain
temperature for a certain time. Vulcanization is most often combined with forming.
chemical changes involved in vulcanization have been given the name “Curing”.
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1) Tensile strength (kg/cm2) 200 2000
2) Percentage elongation 1200 800
3) Water absorption capacity Good Very good
4) Tackiness More Very small
5) Working temp 10 – 600C - 40 to 1000C
6) Chemical Resistance Very poor Excellent
7) Elasticity Very much lower much higher
8) Resistance to oxidation abrasion Very much lower much higher
COMPOUND SHEET
CALENDER EXTRUDED
CUTTING
HAND BUILDING
MOULDING
TRIMMING
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The project “Pneumatically operated Rubber Compression Moulding
Machine” deals with the “Moulding” aspect of the sequence & on a later stage may also
A) BLANK PREPARATION
In some of the large factories & most of the smaller ones moulding blanks
were prepared in a separate section, devoted exclusively to this work. In some factories
one chosen for a given blank being determined mainly by the machines available, the no.
1. Manual : This category includes hand cutting with scissors & knives, hand punching &
2. Punching Presses : Range from simple hand operated presses to large power presses.
Usually cutters are held in the press & rubber sheets moved beneath it.
3. Circular Knives : These are exclusively used for cutting extrusions. The knives are
a. Firstly with the gulliotines mounted at the end of belt conveyor to cut off set length.
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b. Secondly – with fixed bed machines with wide blades 2-3 feet wide.
c. Thirdly - big enough to cut normal size sheets. The positioning is usually done
d. Finally : There are moving bed gulliotines, again with wide set blades where rubber
can be fed automatically or manual set blades where rubber can be fed automatically
5. Volumetric Cutter : - These are large capacity machines where hot rubber strips are
fed to the machines. Here it is cut to size, compressed to required thickness and then
cut by a punch to required shape. The blanks are then dropped into a container & the
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B) METHODS OF MOULDING
application of heat and pressure to the moulding compound in a suitable mould and
material selected, to provide the desired physical properties in the finished moulded pieces.
1. Compression Moulding
2. Transfer Moulding
3. Injection Moulding
4. Extrusion Moulding
transfer moulding. For thermoplastic materials injection and extrusion processes are used.
mould. After the compound is softened and becomes plastic, the upper part of the die
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moves downwards, compressing the materials to the required shape and density.
Continuous heat and pressure produces the chemical reactions. The mould remains closed
a. Flash Type
b. Positive Type
d. Semi-positive Type
(a) Flash Type : As the mould closes, the excess material escapes over the land where it
forms a very thin. The fin hardens first, preventing the escapement of the mould charge.
Flash type moulds may be loaded by volume since excess material is permitted to escape.
(b)Positive Type : The characteristics of positive type mould are deep cavity and a plunger
that compresses the compound at the bottom of the mould. As there is very little
escapement of material, it is necessary to weigh the charge accurately if the size of the part
is to be controlled.
(c) Landed Positive Type : This type of mould is similar to the positive mould except that
lands are incorporated in the design to stop the travel of the plunger at a predetermined
(d)Semi positive Type : This is combination of flash type and landed positive type mould.
In addition to the flash ridges, land is incorporated to restrict the travel of the plunger while
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2. Transfer Moulding : The thermosetting moulding powder is prepared by mixing filler
with resin which is only partly condensed and make it capable of being softened on
through a relatively restricted opening into the main mould. Thus due to flow through
restricted passage, the moulding powder becomes heated much more rapidly and uniformly
3. Injection Moulding : The granular moulding material is loaded into a hopper. The
injection ram pushes the material in to the heating cylinder and in doing so pushes a small
amount of heated material out of the other end of cylinder through the nozzle and mould is
4. Extrusion Moulding : The material in granular form is placed into a feed hopper which
feeds the cylinder of the extruding machine. The hopper portion is kept cool by circulating
water. A rotating screw is used for carrying and mixing of material through cylinder and
forcing it through a die of required shape. The extruded shape coming from the die is
carried through a cooling medium by a conveyor and when it has been cool sufficiently to
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C) BASIS FOR SELECTION OF FLASH TYPE COMPRESSION
This machine is made for low cost and small production runs with
minimum investment. The following methods are rejected due to the given reasons.
1) Rubber Injection Moulding :- The equipment is very expensive & viable only for
high production runs & is also plagued by many technical problems which limits its
2) Extrusion : It is suitable only for the manufacture of pipes, tubes & solid sections
3) Transfer Moulding :- It requires very high pressure and moulding cost is very
high.
4) Positive and Landed Positive Type :- Both these methods are suitable only for
“ Thus flash type compression moulding is the most suitable for small
inexpensive products with small production runs. Thus we select this process.”
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D) ADVANTAGES OF COMPRESSION MOLDING
1. Wastage of material in the form of sprue, runner, and transfer-cull loss is avoided,
multidirectional flow of the material under pressure in the mold cavity. In the case
of high impact types with reinforcing fibers, maximum impact strength is gained.
This results because reinforcing fibers are not broken up as they are when forced
through runners and gates in transfer and injection molding, and because fibers are
more randomly positioned, as compared to the more oriented fibers resulting from
3. A maximum number of cavities can be used in a gives mold base without regard to
automatic removal of molded articles. Automatic molding is widely used for small
5. This technique is useful for thin walled parts that must not warp and must retain
dimensions.
because transfer or screw injection equipment would be more expensive for larger
parts.
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7. For high-impact, fluffy materials, compression molding normally is recommended
because of the difficulty in feeding the molding compound from a hopper to the
press or performer.
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4. PRINCIPLE & WORKING OF MACHINE
This m/c is sturdy & compact one for manufacturing small moulded rubber
products. The operation is so simple that even an unskilled worker can operate the m/c and
no special requirement other than pneumatic power, electricity and raw material is desired.
3. Remove all foreign matter and flash from the mold, usually by air blast.
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5. DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE PROJECT
This project is a based on the concept of using pneumatic power for the
actuation of pressure plate of rubber moulding presses. The basic concept is to prove the
(i) the maximum force that the pressure plate can apply on the die
power we chose to design a small m/c using a single die. Large machines which can
accommodate multiple dies would prove to be too expensive for the purpose. The various
1. The max pressure from the available air compressor was found to be 9 kg/cm2.
2. With the main criterion – cost – in mind, the size of the pneumatic cylinder was chosen
first – { but one that could apply a min force of 150 kg }. The specifications arrived at
were as follows :-
3. 50 mm dia
4. 100 mm stroke
5. double acting
6. flange mounting
7. cushion ended
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iii). Once the specifications for the pneumatic cylinder had been chosen and fixed, next the
max size of the rubber component that could be manufactured was calculated, and the size
Based on the “ S P I Plastic Engg Hand book”, the pressure required for
moulding low pressure, thermoplastic phenolics & rubbers was found to be – 350 psi (24
iv) Once the size of the die had been determined, it was fairly simple to determine the
maximum size of the heating chamber and the distance of the supporting pillars. The size
of the heating chamber should be at least equal to the size of the die, to heat the die
uniformly and the supporting pillars should be far enough not to hamper inserting &
1. Max force from the pneumatic cylinder = area of piston x max pressure from
71× 52
compressor = × 9 = 176kg ≈ 180kg
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2. The size of the die considering provision for latent heat was determined as
100mm x 100mm.
3. Size of the heating chamber was chosen as – 200 mm x 200 mm to accommodate larger
dies in future.
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4. The distance between the supporting pillars was fixed at - 350mm & 250mm
5. Similarly the stroke of the pressure plate was chosen as 100 mm for easy removal
of dies from the heating chamber and to allow for parts with greater moulding
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6. DESIGN OF MACHINE
Characteristics of Fe 310 :-
end of the downward stroke of the pressure plate & also suddenly removed. For shock
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C. CALCULATIONS FOR THE DIMENSIONS OF THE SUPPORT PILLARS.
a) Max shear occurs where the diameter of the pillar is minimum i.e. At the core of the
dc = 6.1 mm
Taking next higher value of core diameter of nut from standard table, core diameter of bolt
(dcb) = 6.647 mm
d) Design features of standard nuts & bolts of size M 10 (all dimensions in mm) :-
1. Pitch – 1.25
7. Shear area-58.3
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e) Calculations for bolt :-
= 400/12
= 33.33 kgf/cm2
Where-
Therefore Fs = 1764/4
Fs = 19.5 kgf/cm2
As the calculated value of shear stress across threads( Fs= 19.5 kgf/cm2) is
lower than the design stress (Fsd = 33.33 kgf/cm2) , the design is safe.
Fsd = P/4.π.d.b.n. = 15.9 kgf/cm2 is less than the working shear stress Fsd = 33.33 kgf/cm 2,
f) For reasons of structural rigidity & to accommodate the drilling & tapping
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D. DESIGN OF TOP PLATE
As the plates rest on the support pillars & are fixed to them using M8 size bolts &
shear force on plate = P/ 4.π.D1.t < = design shear stress (3.266 N/mm2)
therefore t = 2.149 mm
as the guide rods cannot be allowed to deflect or bend , therefore assuming that there is
As the bending load is applied by pneumatic cylinder, at the center of the plate and at the
= 1764 N
Max deflection due to a point load at the middle of a body with both ends fixed
I = 0.467
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As I = bt3/12 = 0.467
t = 5.8 mm
As the value is larger than the value of shear, therefore minimum acceptable
We take the plate of the thickness 8mm for added safety, rigidity and higher
factor of safety.
Thus, thickness of 8mm if more than sufficient for a safe design of the top plate.
For added stability & lower centre of gravity of the machine , a heavy base
(All other design parameters and considerations for base plate is the same as the Top
Plate.)
The heating chamber has to take the same stresses as the top plate & thus is
The size of the heating chamber is 300mm × 200mm with a height of 60mm
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7. DESIGN OF PNEUMATIC SYSTEM
a) PNEUMATIC CIRCUIT
For the actuation of the pressure plate, a simple pneumatic circuit, utilizing a single
4 way, 3 position, spring return , manually operated valve is used in conjunction with the
pneumatic cylinder.
Pneumatic
Cylinder 1 2
4/3 DCV
A c B
From cylinder
FRL unit
To operate the pr plate the operator first shifts the manually operated lever of the
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By doing this air flows from the compressor, through the FRL (Filter regulator &
lubricating) unit, into port 1 of the pneumatic cylinder causing forward stroke of the
cylinder. The cylinder initially moves at a fast rate but as it is cushion ended , towards the
end it slows down & makes a soft contact with the top of the die.
When the cylinder has moved forward to the max limit ( i.e. when the two halves of
the die are closed), the operator switches the lever to position C and thus holds the pressure
on the die.
When the curing process has been completed the lever is switched to position B
A 3 position value is used instead of a 2 position value so that the operator can stop
the ram at any position he wants. This is especially helpful when dies with low heights do
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The pneumatic cylinder is of flange mounting type with the flange having
dimensions 65 mm x 100 mm x 12 mm
The flange was provided with four holes at four corners having a dia of 12
mm and length wise and width wise centre distance between the holes at 90 mm and 45
mm. The shaft of the pneumatic cylinder was of 20 mm diameter with a standard thread of
designation of M 18.
To mount the cylinder four holes were drilled in the top plate with centre
distances of 45 mm (width wise) and 90 mm lengthwise and with a dia of 12 mm. The
pneumatic cylinder was then mounted on the top plate with the help of four nuts and bolts
pressure plate. A hole of 17 mm diameter was drilled and then a hand tapping tool for
internal threads of designation M 18 ( major dia 18 mm) was used to tap the hole.
The shaft of the pneumatic cylinder was then attached to the pressure plate
using the above mentioned threaded fastening and a corresponding locking nut.
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The provision for heating is provided by means of a heating coil fitted in an
usually required to control the temp within this range a thermostat is connected in series
with the coil and directly mounted on the side of the heating chamber.
temp reaches a given specified point between 1400 C and 1600 C under steady state
operating condition.
When the top plate of the heating chamber reaches the specified
temperature the bimetallic strip in the thermostat bends, causing the circuit to break.
Thermostat
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Moulds are made of a variety of materials depending on the use and
conditions of moulding. Cast iron and steel are very common materials. In the moulding
process, it must be remembered that shaping and curing are being done at the same time. It
is essential that the rubber must flow and take shape of the mould before actual
vulcanization starts. This is extremely important in precision moulding, since any structure
developed before moulding pressure is applied will cause a variation in shrinkage after the
There must be sufficient stock in the mould to fill it, otherwise the cured
article will be light in the corners, i.e. corners will be round, when they should be sharp
and rubber product may show porosity both externally and internally.
Some moulds are provided with sprue rings to take small amount of
overflow, to accommodate the amount of rubber that must overflow. Even then if
excessive rubber is put in mould, the two halves will not close properly.
to cut little holes or “vents” right through the mould to get rid of trapped air.
b) Design of Die :-
2. Based on data from “ S P I Plastic Engg Hand Book”, the pressure required for
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3. The maximum size of rubber component that can be moulded = 180/24 = 7.5 cm2
i.e. with surface area upto 7.5 cm2 and depth or thickness upto 1.9 cm.
4. It was decided to make a mould for the manufacture of rubber washers because the
15 mm internal dia
π 2
6. The surface area of the mould is = (D − d 2 ) = 5.3 cm 2
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7. The size of the die was chosen as 100 mm x 100 mm to be able to store sufficient
latent heat and also, if needed, to be converted into a multiple die in future.
8. Two handles were welded to the bottom half of the die for easy removal of die from
inside machine.
CHART NO : 01
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M.S.Plate Size: 400 x 300 x 8 mm
CHART NO : 02
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S Operation Standard Description of Tool used Gauge use Operation
. Used
1. Filling - To obtain better Rough & Tri-Square 30 min.
file
2. Drilling Drilling m/c Drilling of 4 8 mm - 20 min.
as per
specification
CHART NO : 03
150 x 45 x 45 – 1 Nos.
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S Operation Standard Description of Tool used Gauge use Operation
. Used
1. Filling - To obtain better File Tri-square 20 min.
surface finish
2. Welding Welding First weld the 3 30 min.
welded part is
welded to base
plate
CHART NO : 04
. Used
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1. a) Facing Lathe Face & turn the Single Vernier 90 min.
required cutting
specification tool
2. Drilling & Lathe Drilling of 8 6 mm - 90 min.
specification. Boring
Boring is
followed.
3. Tapping To form the Hand - 80 min.
thread up to Tape
specification
CHART NO : 05
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Turning M.S. bar & point Calliper
Facing & cutting
Turning of tool
M.S. plate on
both side
3. Drilling Drilling m/c Drilling up to Drill Vernier 15 mm
& 5 mm depth Calliper
(1 hole)
4. Drilling Drilling m/c Drilling up to Drill - 30 mm
10 mm depth
(3 holes) on
circular
M.S.Plate
CHART NO : 06
. used
1. facing lathe four Facing on both Single Vernier 45 min.
tool
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2 Grooving Lathe four Grooving on Form tool Vernier, 40 min
die gauge
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20 Thermostat cover 1 1 -
21 Insulating sleeves - - 500
22 Nuts & bolts 4 M12 30
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sheet, sleeves , etc.)
6 Painting 163
7 Misc. expenses 223
Final total estimate 6215
The heating coil is of 1500 watts. As during a steady state operation the
heating system is in use for approximately 75 % of the time. Therefore cost of electricity
per operation ( assuming a average 20 operations per hour and rate of electricity Rs. 5 per
20
The pneumatic cylinder can give satisfactory service bet 5 and 7 kg / cm2
pressure.
= 0.75 x 0.746x 5 x 10
20 x 60
= Rs 0.02 = 2 paisa.
Therefore, total running cost of machine per operation = 0.02 + 0.26 = Rs. 0.28 = 28 p.
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14. ADVANTAGES OF THE MACHINE
a) This machine is much cheaper than any other hydraulically operated automatic m/c.
b) The no. of operator required is one and thus it eliminates one to two workers as
d) The pressure applied is much more consistent leading to better quality products.
f) Its operating costs are at par with or lower than other machines. ( Both manual and
automatic).
g) Due to only single moving part maintenance costs are very low.
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Source : “SPI Plastic Engineering Handbook”.
Design Dimensions of screw threads, bolts and nuts according to IS : 4218 (Part IV)
1978.
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Designation Pitch Major or Effective or Minor or Core Depth Stress
mm nominal pitch Diameter (de) of area
diameter diameter Nut mm thread mm2
Nut and and Bolt (dp) Bolt Nut (bolt)
Bolt (d- mm mm
D) mm
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)
Coarse series
M 0-4 0.1 0.400 0.335 0.277 0.202 0.061 0.074
M 0-6 0.15 0.600 0.503 0.416 0.438 0.092 0.166
M 0-8 0.2 0.800 0.670 0.555 0.584 0.123 0.295
M1 0.25 1.000 0.838 0.693 0.729 0.153 0.460
M 1-2 0.25 1.200 1.038 0.893 0.929 0.158 0.732
M 1-4 0.3 1.400 1.205 1.032 1.075 0.184 0.983
M 1-6 0.35 1.600 1.373 1.171 1.221 0.215 1.27
M 1-8 0.35 1.800 1.573 1.371 1.421 0.215 1.70
M2 0.4 2.000 1.740 1.509 1.567 0.245 2.07
M 2.2 0.45 2.200 1.908 1.648 1.713 0.276 2.48
M 2.6 0.45 2.500 2.208 1.948 2.013 0.276 3.30
M3 0.5 3.000 2.675 2.387 2.459 0.307 5.03
M 3.5 0.6 3.500 3.110 2.764 2.850 0.368 6.78
M4 0.7 4.000 3.545 3.141 3.242 0.429 8.78
M 4.5 0.75 4.500 4.013 3.580 3.688 0.460 11.3
M5 0.8 5.000 4.480 4.019 4.134 0.491 14.2
M6 1 6.000 5.350 4.773 4.918 0.613 20.1
M7 1 7.000 6.350 5.773 5.918 0.613 28.9
M8 1.25 8.000 7.188 6.466 6.647 0.767 36.6
M 10 1.5 10.000 9.026 8.160 8.876 0.920 58.3
M 12 1.75 12.000 10.863 9.858 10.106 1.074 84.0
M 14 2 14.000 12.701 11.546 11.835 1.227 115
M 16 2 16.000 14.701 13.546 13.835 1.227 157
M 18 2.5 18.000 16.376 14.933 15.294 1.534 192
M 20 2.5 20.000 18.376 16.933 17.294 1.534 245
M 22 2.5 22.000 20.376 18.933 19.294 1.534 303
M 24 3 24.000 22.051 20.320 20.752 1.840 353
M 27 3 27.000 25.051 23.320 23.752 1.840 459
M 30 3.5 30.000 27.727 25.706 26.211 2.147 561
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15. CONCLUSION
The concept of this project was truly original and the advantages of this
machine over other comparable machines is not an exaggeration. This machine has a true
With indispensable help from our professors and workshop staff and sincere
effort on the part of both our guide Prof. C.V. Deshmukh and the member of this team we
product properly.
Thank You.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Machine Design
By : R.S. Khurmi
2. Production Technology
By : R.K. Jain
4. Rubber technology
By : C.M. Blow
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