Development of dough kneading machine for small and medium-sized enterprises

Abstract

This work focuses on the development of a motor-powered dough-kneading machine for small to medium-scale businesses to aid the efficient production of their edible products. It employs dual electric motors configured to rotate in opposite directions on the same axis for an efficient kneading process. The work was carried out at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State. The machine employs upper and lower electric motors configured to rotate in opposite directions on the same axis for an efficient kneading process. The design analysis was carried out in line with the defined specifications, which was followed by fabrication and evaluation. The result showed a kneading torque of 128 Nm at average kneading power and speed of 1.37 kW and 102.02 RPM respectively. The dough volume per batch and the mixing bowl volume were 0.00397 and 0.00512 m3. The capacity and efficiency of the machine were estimated to be 0.87 kg/min and 90.65% at the R2 of 92.2%. The performance showed that the dough-kneading machine is efficient and can be produced in mass to meet the market demands of small and medium-scale businesses.