Development of a Mixing and Moulding Unit for Mini Foam Batch Production Plant Oluwayomi J. Oyejide and Joseph I. Achebo Department of Production Engineering, University of Benin, Nigeria *Department of Mechanical Eng., Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun, Nigeria oyejide.joel@fupre.edu.ng, josephachebo@yahoo.co.uk Modestus O. Okwu* and Lagouge Tartibu *Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. okwu.okechukwu@fupre.edu.ng, ltartibu@uj.ac.za Abstract This study focuses on the development of a mixing and mould system for the production of flexible polyurethane foam. Foam is a vital material used in every home and the demand rate of this valuable product has increased over the years. It was estimated to be seven million metric tons, with an average growth rate of 5%. Considering this factor, there is a need for improvement in the manufacturing process of foams. This research aims at developing a standard mixing and moulding unit of a mini foam (petroleum-based) batch production plant. The major components of the machine include the electric motor, which is the prime mover of the machine, a mixing tank, baffles, hopper through which the reagents are poured into the mixing tank, ball valve, and the mould. The result showed that the machine produced a high-quality foam with a moulded foam density of about 0.03g/cm 3 although this value was dependent on the foam formulation. Keywords: Design, mould unit, mould foam density, petroleum-based, mini foam 1. Introduction The current population of Nigeria based on the latest United Nations World Population Estimation is roughly 187,896,647 as of September 2016, this implies that Nigeria population is equivalent to 2.48% of the total world population and is estimated to double that figure by the year 2050 (Worldometer, 2016). Nigeria population has an average growth rate of about 2.6% resulting in an increased in the demand for flexible polyurethane foam in an average home. There is hardly any home where polyurethane foam is not used, whether in flexible or rigid form, thus mechanization of the production polyurethane foam will be a welcome development. Furthermore, most small- scale producers of foam have issues with their product because in most cases the mixing of the raw materials is done mechanically with stirrer driven by an electric motor, but turned manually into the mould, hence, there is time wastage before pouring which can affect the foam formed. The research is aimed at developing the mixing and moulding Unit for a Foam Batch Production Plant, integrating them into a single unit, hence to reduce human (operator) effort, processing time as well as the cost of production using suitable engineering materials without compromising the efficiency of the machine. The major objective of this study is the development of mixing and molding system for easy production of foam. The sub-objectives include to: Study already existing batch production plants and look at ways of possible improvement; design and construct the molding and mixing unit using a ball valve as the connector, and other locally sourced materials; assemble the various component of the batch production plant into a single machine and conduct a performance test on the developed machine. 2. Literature Review Polyurethanes are one the most important class of special polymer, though this term is not derived from polymerizing methane monomers, nor are they the polymers containing primarily urethane group. Possibly the most Proceedings of the 2nd African International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Harare, Zimbabwe, December 7-10, 2020 © IEOM Society International