DBCE Mechanical students develop Automated Laterite stone Dressing Machine

Final year mechanical engineering students from Don Bosco College of Engineering, Fatorda, Olencio Zuzarte, Sunny D’mello, Ralston Fernandes, Anish Kharangate and Jonathan Baptista have developed and tested a prototype of “Automated Laterite Stone Dressing Machine”. The project was guided by Prof. Ajit Salunke, HOD, Mechanical Engineering Department.

The project deals with design and fabrication of the laterite stone dressing machine with automated table movement using a pneumatic cylinder controlled by a microcontroller.  The machine provides provisions for various sizes of stone dimensions, eliminates manual labour and minimizes time required for dressing laterite stone. A uniform size of stone per lot can be obtained without sacrificing the surface finish of the laterite stone which can be used for construction applications such as provide vertical and horizontal joints in  masonry, exposed masonry, landscaping etc.

The cost of this prototype is approximately Rs.54,000 and the time required for dressing two sides of laterite stone including loading, clamping and unloading was found to be 120 seconds or 2 minutes after testing. The prototype if implemented on a commercial scale would be a boon for the Construction Industry.

The team members are grateful to the Director Fr. Kinley D’cruz and Principal Dr. Neena Panandikar for providing the necessary support for execution of this project. The prototype will be displayed during the College annual event Kshitij 2018 to be held from 26th to 28th July 2018