A comparative study into the qualities of both foreign (India) and locally manufactured corn mill plates by artisans at Suame – magazine in Kumasi

Abstract

The aim of this research was to investigate into the qualities of both locally manufactured (from Suame Magazine in Kumasi) and foreign (India) corn mill grinding plates and to recommend if there are new technologies that could be employed to further enhance their qualities. The researcher made a brief description of the different forms of casting with more emphasis on sand casting. This was followed with an in-depth literature review of relevant material related to the subject matter. Five (5) corn mill grinding plates, three local and two foreign plates were randomly selected for investigation. The researcher limited the number to five because of financial constraints – the cost of testing and secondly most of the plates had similar qualities. The microstructure of each plate was observed using optical microscope attached to a computer. The qualities of corn mill grinding plates depend on the chemical composition and the casting process used, therefore, the chemical composition of the plates were determined using an emission mass spectrometer. Additionally, the hardness of each plate was determined using the Leeb hardness tester. It was observed from the results obtained through the various tests on the specimen that the locally produced corn mill grinding plates have a better quality as compared to the foreign (India) in terms of chemical composition and hardness. One significant observation made was that, even samples from the same foundry shop varied in terms of qualities and this was attributed to the uncontrolled charging of raw materials into the furnaces. The researcher strongly recommends capacity building in terms of training from the ITTU to artisans engaged in casting to improve their skills. Further to the above, a concerted effort should be made to ensure that only white cast iron is sorted and fed into the furnaces.