CHAPTER ONE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Nigeria’s economy has suffered a terrible setback over the year the common man finds it difficult to make for his livelihood, some people take pop-corn as one of their favorite food especially bachelors spinsters who can take pop-corn as super, breakfast and even lunch.
The University and Polytechnics graduate no longer find good employment thereby embarks on self-employment by constructing popcorn machine to meet their needs.
This unemployment constitutes the economic depression of our nations. The popcorn-making machine in constructed with locally made materials at a reduced cost. The design, construction and fabrication of the machine i.e. not in any known text at the moment, the project group therefore faced design, construction and fabrication problem.
1.2 DESIGN CONSTRUCTION AND FABRICATION PROBLEM
The problems associated with the design of the machine are discussed below.
1. Selection of Electric Motor: In the market, there are various types of motor with varying speed of rotation per minute. The automated popcorn machine has a striver which turns the corn inside the cast opts as heating on. The striver, which rotates due to the rod connected to it from the motor, should rotate with a low speed to produce the desired effect. In our research, we were able to discover that only a low speed motor could give the desired turning effect.
2. Heating Element: Another problem in the choice of heating element. There are various kinds of heating elements available in the market ranging from 850- 1500watts. The elements come in different shapes, sizes, and makes e.g. spring type, ring type and plate type.
3. Third Design Problem is Control and Safety: In the system we discovered that there is the need for the finance circuit to control the operation of the electrical popcorn machine.
4. Construction and Fabrication of the Housing for the Machine: This is fourth problem, which involves the use of per pex holler rectangular aluminum bars in profile glasses and metal handle. With respect to safety. The machine was made to be safer for the users by incorporating the user of insulator in the design.