Automatic ironing machine

• Main Author: Tan, Denis Yu Hon.
• Other Authors: Lee Yong Tsui
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Manufacturing::Product design
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/18437
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The objective of this project is to design an efficient and economical domestic automatic ironing machine. This report provides an overview of the properties of different fabrics and studies the principles behind wrinkle removal and formation. Research on existing designs and prototypes were studied, leading to a new conceptual design. The proposed automatic ironing machine consists of a conveyor, steamer and heating elements to provide heat, pressure and moisture. Rollers are used to convey the garment through the ironing zone. The heating elements are spring loaded to allow the heating plates to adjust themselves to various contours and obstacles. A prototype with similar concepts was fabricated for proof of concept. The area of focus for this report highlights on the designing, testing and evaluation of the bottom components of the prototype. The prototype consists of the steam emitter, boiler, shaft design and lower structural frames. Power consumption on the boiler was also evaluated as part of the design evaluation. Experiments on the proposed conceptual design were conducted to evaluate its effectiveness on different types of garment. Results had shown that the machine is capable of removing up to 90 percent or more of the wrinkles. Improvements were suggested on the spreading, feeding and thermal heat transfer of the proposed conceptual design.