Development of Laboratory Hot Compression Mounting Press Machine
Oyetunji Akinlabi *
Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria.
Barnabas Abel Adeiza
Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria.
Obolo Olupitan Emmanuel
Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This research focuses on the design, fabrication and performance evaluation of a laboratory hot mounting press machine for metallography using locally sourced materials and indigenous technology. To achieve this research objective, working drawings were produced which were used to produce the parts of the machine. Mild steel plates were used for the housing and the movable platen while stainless steel and mild steel rods were used for the production of the mold and the sturd respectively. From the design, the temperature of 180°C was used to melt resin by heat supplied from band heater and heating time was 10 minutes. The pressure of 28 MPa was applied by the hydraulic jack for the resin. The need to produce a user friendly and low cost laboratory mounting press machine using indigenous technology and locally sourced materials led to this study and hence, this research is recommended for use in metallurgical sectors, tertiary institutions and research institutes such as The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Engineering Materials Development Institute (EMDI), Abuja, and National Board for Technological Incubation (NBTI).
Keywords: Design, fabrication, evaluation, mounting press machine.