Design Of an Automatic Areca Palm Sheath Plate Making Machine Using Press Molding Mechanism

Abstract

The increasing consumption of single-use plastic plates has contributed to the growing volume of national plastic waste, particularly in the fast-food and online food service sectors. Substituting plastic with natural materials such as areca palm sheath offers a potential solution due to its biodegradable nature, strength, and the absence of additional chemical requirements. The plate-forming process using areca palm sheath involves heat pressing with a manual mold, which reshapes the sheath into disposable plates. However, the manual molding process requires significant human effort, making it inefficient. This study aims to design an efficient and affordable automatic areca palm sheath plate-making machine for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The development method applies the Generic Product Development Process and supported by the Pugh method for optimal design selection. The research outcomes include an automatic plate-making machine featuring a low-carbon steel frame structure, a hydraulic-based molding system with a pressing capacity of 5 tons, and an automatic pressure control system utilizing a PID pressure controller. The safety factor testing result, with a pressing force of 19 kN, yielded a value of 5.46.