MUK students design agric machines
Nov 18, 2002
Jackson Mubangizi, a former Mechanical Engineering student of Makerere University, has designed a Pineapple Juice Extracting Machine
By Fortunate Ahimbisibwe
Jackson Mubangizi, a former Mechanical Engineering student of Makerere University, (pictured) has designed a Pineapple Juice Extracting Machine.
He says the machine will help rural farmers to process their pineapples into juice to create more marketing opportunities. The machine captured attention when it was displayed at the annual exhibition at the Faculty of Technology on November 2.
“When farmers fail to get market, their pineapples are wasted but with such a machine, a farmer would produce juice,†James Kasozi, a student explains.
Mubangizi made the mach-ine with the help of the Ugan-da Gatsby Trust at Makerere University. It is made of stainless steel to prevent contamination of the juice.
“The machine can crush over 100 pineapples a day. This would reduce the bulk that farmers have to carry to the market,†he says.
The manually operated machine, small enough to fit on a stool, has a tray at the top where the peeled pineapple pieces are placed. When the handle is rolled, the crusher rotates and crushes the pieces squeezing them to bring juice into the container.
The inventors say the machine can work for over 10 years depending on how it is handled. It does not require a lot of energy and electricity.
Another machine exhibited was the portable seed cleaner, a project done by Daniel Matovu last year. Matovu was trying to help the rural serial crop growers in cleaning their product. Denis Asiimwe, now a Mechanical Engineering student, fourth year notes that without a machine it is difficult to clean large amounts of seeds.
“The farmer needs such a machine to clean seeds such as beans, soya and maize. This mortar driven machine can clean 500 kg of seeds a day,†he says.
The Dean of the Faculty, Ass. Prof. Badru Mulumba says that there is need to help the local producers with the facilities that promote local technology,†he says.
So far they only have a sample. Asiimwe says the mac-hine would cost sh160,000.
Jackson Mubangizi, a former Mechanical Engineering student of Makerere University, (pictured) has designed a Pineapple Juice Extracting Machine.
He says the machine will help rural farmers to process their pineapples into juice to create more marketing opportunities. The machine captured attention when it was displayed at the annual exhibition at the Faculty of Technology on November 2.
“When farmers fail to get market, their pineapples are wasted but with such a machine, a farmer would produce juice,†James Kasozi, a student explains.
Mubangizi made the mach-ine with the help of the Ugan-da Gatsby Trust at Makerere University. It is made of stainless steel to prevent contamination of the juice.
“The machine can crush over 100 pineapples a day. This would reduce the bulk that farmers have to carry to the market,†he says.
The manually operated machine, small enough to fit on a stool, has a tray at the top where the peeled pineapple pieces are placed. When the handle is rolled, the crusher rotates and crushes the pieces squeezing them to bring juice into the container.
The inventors say the machine can work for over 10 years depending on how it is handled. It does not require a lot of energy and electricity.
Another machine exhibited was the portable seed cleaner, a project done by Daniel Matovu last year. Matovu was trying to help the rural serial crop growers in cleaning their product. Denis Asiimwe, now a Mechanical Engineering student, fourth year notes that without a machine it is difficult to clean large amounts of seeds.
“The farmer needs such a machine to clean seeds such as beans, soya and maize. This mortar driven machine can clean 500 kg of seeds a day,†he says.
The Dean of the Faculty, Ass. Prof. Badru Mulumba says that there is need to help the local producers with the facilities that promote local technology,†he says.
So far they only have a sample. Asiimwe says the mac-hine would cost sh160,000.