Application of kaizen principles in the design of manual interlocking block-making machine (Chapa machine)

Abstract

Compressed earth blocks (CEBs) continuous to gain more prominence in our society today and this can be at times attributed to high inflation and interest rates. This trend is also enhanced by the advancement in technology which has allowed production of better quality blocks through stabilization by various means. The main advantages of CEBs as building materials are: they are comparatively cheap, environmentally friendly and sustainable. Different manual CEB making machines in existence suffer from various challenges which include: overall low production units per day, high effort/energy input per unit, much straining and a lot of motion during operation among others. It is then apparent that controlling and improving quality is important factor to be considered in any attempt to promote increased use of CEBs technology especially among low-income earners. Such can only be achieved by application of Kaizen principles initially at design stage so as to guarantee higher functionality, usability and satisfaction of the product. This paper took into consideration these principles to come up with a new design of a manual CEB machine in an attempt to seal the gap in the market. The machine can deliver a compaction pressure of 68.01 Kg/cm2 and can produce 14400 blocks per day by employing two workers. The compaction pressure and the production capability is found to exceed most motorized brands in the market like Clu 3000 press (50 Kg/cm2) and Terstamatic (40 Kg/cm2).