Design and Fabrication of Plastic Recycling Injection Moulding Machine for Plastic Wastage Recycling In Kenya

Charles Murithi Maina

Abstract: The purpose of the current work was to design and fabricate plastic recycling injection moulding machine for plastic waste management in Kenya. Using locally available raw materials, the machine was designed, constructed, assembled and tested. Waste plastics were shredded into small pieces and loaded into the hopper where it was heated at 2200C and forced into mould cavity at high pressure by the injection plunger. Material selection was made based on design calculations of injection plunger diameter, number of teeth on pinion and plunger rack, torque, power, angular velocity, number of revolutions and leverage of the machine handle. The various components of the machine were assembled and the constructed machine was tested using high density polyethylene (HDPE). The constructed injection moulding machine produced plastic chair caps from plastic wastes thus saving the country from plastic menace that is currently rampant.

Keywords: Design, Injection, Fabrication, Plastic Waste, Moulding, Recycling