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DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A PAINT MIXER

Dept: MECHANICAL ENGINEERING File: Word(doc) Chapters: 1-5 Views: 5

Abstract

A paint mixer was designed and constructed with the primary objective to combine all the paint components and their spatial distribution until a certain degree of uniformity is achieved. The machine consists of the following parts: the mixing vessel (i.e. a metal sheet cut and folded into drum) where the actual mixing is to take place, a shaft, four blade fixed to the shaft which does the mixing, ball bearings, pulleys, feeding hole, V – belt, tap and electric motor. The capacity of the tank is 50 litters and was designed to be powered by an electric motor of one (1) horse power. The machine was tested and found to be functionally effective and it requires little or no skill to operate.

1.1  INTRODUCTION

       The technology development in Nigeria with respect to locally Pronduction of machine, parts has been a great concern to many Nigerians. Before paint mixer was done in a very crude way.

The essence of this project is to design a machine (paint mixer) which can combine all the components of paint and their spatial distribution until a certain degree of homogeneity is achieved. Mixing may also be described as the intermingling of two or more substance in such a way that a desired degree of mixing is obtained.

There are different problem associated with mixing.

Solid may be mixed with solids, liquids or gases, liquid may be mixed with gases. The number of components or substances mixture may be two or more. The properties or materials to be mixed may vary greatly and so may the proportions of the different component.

The idea behind the design is to disperse the pigment as completely as possible in order to achieve the homogeneity required.

The essential features of a mixer are as follows:

1. The tank (mixing vessel)
2. The Agitator

• The power sources

1. The hopper
2. The pulley

The tank is the vessel, which contain the materials to be mixed. And the Agitator is the means by which power transmitted is used in mixing the materials with the aids of rotating blades. Agitator could be gear driven or belt driven.

Power, in the case of electrically operated mixer is drawn or produced by electric motor and it is transmitted through a shaft to the agitator. And in the case of a manually operated mixer, the power is supplied by rotating or turning the shaft at the free and using a handle translating the motion through a shaft to the agitator.

In both cases, the agitator rotates in the tank containing the material to be mixed and thereby causing the mixing of the different material in the tank.

Mixer can generally be grouped into two basic categories namely.

1. Paste and viscous material mixer
2. Agitation at low viscosity particle suspension mixer the use of a particular mixer operation is determined by the phase present, that solid-solid, solid-liquid, solid-gas, liquid-liquid, liquid-gas and gas-gas.

It will be wise to discus paint and vanish in this regard paint is a pigmented system applied to hide and protect a surface. Paint contains as wide range of ingredients. A varnish is a solvent thinned combination of a drying oil and a hard resin. Also a varnish is the cheer film obtained using a varnish as coating vehicle.

The ingredient of paint includes:

1. The vehicle, which is the carrier of the pigment consisting of combinations of OUS, resins polymers and solvent, the non-volatile portion is called the binder.
2. Prime pigments are used for their ability to hid or cover the surface.

• Extender pigments are used for their ability to give relatively little hiding but their cost is lower than that at prime pigment and they provide control of such.

1. Drivers, they are metal salt especially of cobalt, manganese and lead which accelerate the conversion of liquid film to a solid.
2. Solvent or thinners, it control paint consistency and application properties.

Also some other variety may be added such as:

1. Anti skin agent
2. Mildewcides

• Anti flood and anti float agents

1. Anti sag agents
2. Putting agents etc

Paint is made by grinding pigment in the vehicle. The pigment as relieved from the manufacture is already off as fine particle size as they will be no finished paints.

The grinding operation is design to disperse the pigment in the vehicles so that each particle is wetted and chips of pigments particles are broken up in a typical paints manufacture, a paste prepared from all of the pigment and a portion of the vehicle is subjected to the appropriate grinding technique until the desired finances of grind is attained and the resultant paste is diluted with the remaining portion of vehicle and solvent.

All paints are primarily mixtures both pigment and vehicle are supplied in direct useable form, therefore, processing for coating does not involved chemical synthesis only mixing. Relatively similar equipment is employed regardless of the type end-use of the coating.

The stated mixers above are mainly for large industrial use where large quantity of paint is being produce and it is observed that the average man cannot purchase this, so in order to satisfy the problem of proper paint mixing with high quality at affordable price, the idea of the machine was borne it has an equal functional ability with the big industrial paint machine although of smaller quality. The production rate depends on the power of the electric motor and the size of the drum because it is electrically driven.

1.2  STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

       The task to be carried out is to design and constructs paint mixing machine at an affordable price for local and small scale use. This is to be alone by carefully assessing the existing paint mixers with a view to evolving a cheap and practicable type.

1.3  OBJECTIVE/MOTIVATION FOR THE PROJECT

The need to develop and empower the small scale industries with indigenous technology cannot be over emphasize the low level of technology in Nigeria has been a matter of great concern to the government and Nigerians. Unfortunately not much progress has been made in this regard; hence embarking on this project is aimed at fulfilling the following objectives

1. To ease the production of paint
2. To introduce a new product using indigenous technology which the consumer will find efficient and satisfactory.

• To serve as motivation for others to give themselves to technological innovations in the country

1. To encourage government to invest largely in the area of mass production of the machine in order to save foreign exchange for the nation.

It is hoped that the above listed factors and many others which motivated the undertaking of this project would be fully or at least partially realized on the introduction of this work to the market.