The document describes the design of a solar-powered sheet metal bending machine. It notes that existing manually operated sheet metal bending machines at Adigrat University pose safety risks. The objectives of the new design are to develop components, select materials, and create drawings using Solidworks. The methodology follows a PDD sequence, including problem identification, data collection from observations and interviews, design analysis, and cost estimation. Materials are selected based on availability, suitability for working conditions, and cost, with cast iron, mild steel, and stainless steel chosen for components like gears, rollers, housing, and screws.

1. SOLAR OPERATED SHEET METAL BENDING MACHINE
Introduction
Due to human’s inability to bend metals into desired shapes and angles, nowadays we need
machines to produce quality products. Each and every work of humans is reduced by a machine.
We have different material properties and shape hence the need for a machine to produce the
desired shape for a particular purpose. The machine must be able to bend metals without
producing a fracture (uniformly without stretching, tearing, and cutting) and on simple working
principle. To build the machine a lot of equipment is needed. By using all this equipment, the
process for making the project is faster and easier.
A bending is widely use in automation industry. The purpose a bending machine is to bend metal
into a variety of bent parts for example roller metals, bar bent metals and hollow bent metals.
The attachment of the adjustable stand plays the role in productivity of producing products.
Unfortunately, there is no proper bending machine with an adjustable height stand to suit the
height of different users operating the machine. Most employees operate these machines in a
poor posture. Moreover, the existing bending machine are big in size, consume a lot of
space and they are used for big scale production.
Problem statement
In Adigrat University mechanical engineering work shop there is a manually operated sheet
metal bending machine which is used to bend sheet metal for different purpose. Often the
operator’s hands are caught and drawn into the counter-rotating rollers, usually during the initial
feeding of the work piece. A large number of incidents involving sheet metal rolling machines
have resulted in amputations and other serious injuries, with a large proportion of them being
associated with the operator wearing gloves. Additionally, it is not uncommon for a person
walking past the machine to slip, trip or fall and find that their hands have been caught in the
machine. And also it is difficult to bend the sheet metal uniformly without stretching, tearing,
and cutting using man power.

2. Objectives of the project
General objective of the project
The general objective of this project is to design solar operated sheet metal bending machine to
bend sheet metal easily in Adigrat University which has never been before in this work shop.
Specific objective of the project
The following are the specific objectives of the work:
1. To develop design analysis for the machine components.
2. To conduct material selection for solar operated sheet metal bending machine.
3. To prepare the part and assembly drawing of the machine components using solid work
software.
SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
SIGNIFICANS

3. Methodology
In our project a series of methods were followed during the design of solar operated sheet metal
bending machine. These are:
 Problem identification
 Data collection
a. Primary data collection using:
- Visual Observation in the work shop
- By formal interview to the operators
b. Secondary data collection:
- By referring to some books and handouts which are related to our study
- From internet.
Generally, after collecting the data by primary and secondary source, the process follows through
PDD sequence and procedure from identifying customer need, design analysis and cost
estimation. The methodology process follows PDD procedure as:

4. Figure 1: diagrammatic expression of the methodology

5. Material selection
Material selection is assigning the proper material for the design components. The selection of a
proper material, for engineering purposes, is one of the most difficult problems for the designer.
The best material is one which serves the desired objective at the minimum cost. The following
factors should be considered while selecting the material:
I. Availability of the materials,
II. Suitability of the materials for the working conditions in service, and
III. The cost of the materials.
Selecting the proper Material for the design has variety of benefits. Some of these are:
 Better toughness,
 long live with low cost,
 Resistance of failure and Corrosion resistance and others.
The selected materials for every component are as tabulated below
No Components Material selection
1 Super gear Cast iron
2 Pinion shaft Cast iron
3 Gear shaft Cast iron
4 Roller shaft Mild steel
5 Housing Cast iron
6 Support Mild steel
7 Bolt Gray cast iron
8 Power screw Annealed stainless steel
Table 1: selected materials of sheet metal bending machine components