Engineering analysis of three manually operated sunflower seed oil presses manufactured in Tanzania

Included in the study are an 80 ton and a 20 ton scissor jack press and a small ram type press designed by Carl Bielenberg of ATI. The presses were assessed in terms of: (1) function - how well designed they are to generate mechanical force for the extraction of oil from sunflower seed; (2) durability - how susceptible they are to failure due to stresses generated during operation or due to poor maintenance practices; (3) appropriateness - how appropriate they are in terms of the materials used, ease of manufacture, ease of operation, output, cost, safety, etc., and how appropriate they are for use by rural or peri-urban poor. (Author abstract)