Design Automated Rubber Tree Tapping Machine

Do you have feild experience. i.e. practical experience.

You need this to draw upon forming a baseline for your goals.

Contact or lookup at place/sites such as your Government has any information about the toleranceof the rubber tree. Your going to need this if your are going to extract it mechanically.

With this information, you can begin to develop cycle times, cost/benefit analyses.

That is very breif, but you also did not give anymore information. It is you that needs to get educated.

And to do this, is to do it.

Good luck!

this must be a student topic

look here

You my refer http://www.sumobrain.com/patents/wipo/Automatic-rubber-tree-tapping-machine/WO2012017450A2.pdf

Designing a machine won't be difficult. Did you think about the alternate employment to those(howmany???) who would lose their jobs(manual tappers).

I am going to be tough on you my friend, as in life, nothing is as easy as it seems!

You've asked the forum for ideas and info on your idea, to design a rubber tree tapping machine!

In the past over many, many years I have had students like yourself have asked questions and expect the answer to be handed to them on a plate, WITHOUT working for it!

Sorry you are in the wrong place for that to happen.

You've got the idea.. as from where it came, hopefully from your young and fertile imagination. So now you think the next step is to ask someone for THEIR ideas? WRONG!

Next step is to research it, design it, make a prototype, test it and submit your FYP.

Along the way if you have difficulty.. then ASK! That's where I and many others are only to happy to help.

however, I (and others) expect you to have made every attempt to resolve your problem BEFORE you ask us. It is the only WAY TO LEARN.

So take this as it is meant to be.. advice for life!

Don't ask others to do something that you can't or won't do for yourself.

Best of luck with your project!

I agree with Birch that you have approached us too early and while we will assist, it is not in your interest, or that of any of your future employers, that we do this project for you.

Faced with the complex problem of a rubber tapping machine, the most common method for solution would be to analyse the task and break it down into a series of simple problems. Most of the simple problems will already have a range of solutions. It is up to you to research these solutions and choose which of these solutions best fits your application. Those parts that do not have a ready made solution is where you can be innovative, something for which you have been training for the past two plus years.

A breakdown of your problem may include

This is going to be operated in dirty, hot, humid, semi-jungle conditions by people who are probably badly trained, under paid, and non too careful about dropping, banging or otherwise damaging the device. It needs to be robust and easy to repair.

Any device will have to be clamped quickly onto trees with differing diameters, so it should be adjustable, preferably self adjusting which suggests some sort of spring mechanism.

Each tree will be tapped with several cuts before the device is removed to the next tree. Will the device automatically increment itself up the tree every couple of days to cut a new slot? How will you achieve the timing?

The amount of latex tapped from each tree will determine the size of your storage vessel, which impacts on the total weight and any power requirements for your device.

Will the latex go hard while it awaiting pick-up? How would you counter this?

When transferring the device from one tree to the next, are you risking the spread of any infection/parasites. Can you design in a method of disinfecting the device, in the field, in a few minutes?

Should it be powered, using a simple microprocessor to regulate functions? Batteries are expensive and would need changing regularly. Would planters be prepared to go to the expense and trouble? Could you extract enough energy from solar power?

When you have solutions to all the small problems, try to optimise them. Can you add wheels to the clamping mechanism to drive it up the tree for subsequent cuts? Is two sets of clamps and using a box motion drive a better solution? By employing a solenoid can the cutting blades be engaged to make a cut during the climb increment? Could a liquid used to blanket the surface of the latex to exclude air also be used as a disinfectant?

I am in UK where there are no rubber trees. I have not studied this problem, the examples shown are only typical of what may be encountered. You need to know how trees are tapped now, what the problems are, and the cost/time savings that would be required to justify the purchase of and automatic machine.

Finally, I see lots of designs that will work but that are impractical to build and maintain in the environment where they will be used. When designing, think about which materials to use, how it will be made and how it will be maintained.

Good luck and keep us posted on your final design.

Thanks for your comment. I will proceed this project to the next level if my supervisor agree with my propose that included with the comment and the oppinions by you all. My project wil include the internal combustion engine that has limited lower and upper cutting bark and has three cutter which the system was same with the process of shave.Would you share some information about this operation. Thanks for your cooperation.

khairun_nisa123:

I don't believe you understand want learning is.

For you to become a competent engineer that as an engineer that has a significant problem solver skills. You initially have to do some of the work.

Ok you do not know what you are doing, at least thats the impression. But YOU and YOU alone have to develop that skills set.

And the only way for you to do it, is to DO IT.

And if you feel it's necessary to included our comments to your supervisor, please do. Because if your at a company. It will reinforce your supervisor's opinion of you.

Remember, that its not all about producing, Its about performance.

And if he would care, have him PM me.