Bici Desgranadora de Maíz

Bici-Tec

Bici Desgranadora is a pedal powered corn sheller machine designed to reduce manual labour.

Snapshot
Manufacturing & delivery
Performance & use
Research & standards
Feedback

Product description Brand name and product description

Bici Desgranadora de Maíz is a pedal powered corn shelling machine. The machine uses bicycle parts combined with a corn sheller to decrease manual labor and time required after harvesting.

Target region(s) Target region for distribution/implementation (listed by country if specified)

Latin America, specifically Guatemala and Mexico.

Distributors/implementing organizations Organization(s) distributing/deploying this product directly to communities/individuals?"

Bici-Tec distributes the product directly and works with community leaders to distribute it.^{Interview with representative in 2018}

Market suggested retail price Price per unit or service price per usage/terms (USD). Subsidies noted.

277 USD (converted from quetzales), Bici-Tec also donates the product partially or completely to families with great need.^{Interview with representative in 2018}.

Competitive landscape Similar products available on the market. May not be a comprehensive listing.

Other corn shelling methods such as manual shelling, MIT’s D-lab corn sheller and Mayapedal’s corn sheller.

SDG targeted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targeted with this product/application/service

Goal 2: Zero hunger

Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth

Target user(s) Target user/consumer base (country, income segment)

Untrained individuals, small-scale farmers

Manufacturing/building method(s) Detail regarding solution production or construction method (instructions, mass production capacity, custom made,etc...)

The Bici Desgranadora is made from bicycle received as donation from the US and Canada, bicycles that cannot be reconditioned are dismantled with certain parts (pedals, bicycle frames, etc) used in designing the pedal powered bicycle corn thresher. Materials are sourced locally and incorporated in the building of the equipment. The metal frame for example is welded together to the other engineered parts like the seats which is made from plywood. The flywheel is made by adding cement to the mould of the wheel. The equipment can be ordered and made to specification of the client, thus the building methods are half artisanal and half industrial.

Product Intellectual Property Open source/IP protected (note patent)/trade secret/other?

Open source, through Bici-Tec’s Escuela De Bici-Tecnología Apropriada students can learn how to build and design pedal powered machines such as the bici desgranadora de maíz.

User Provision Model Where can the product be purchased/acquired by end users?

Direct from manufacturer, to place an order call Carlos Marroquin at +502 4080 1572 or reach out to the company through their Facebook page

Distribution to date Number of units that have been deployed, downloads or users to date

~2,000 ^{Interview with representative at 2018}

Fields marked are sourced values that have been evaluated by the manufacturer or a third party, all others are design specifications.

Shelling capacity (kg/hr)

Capacity of sheller, measured in kilograms per hour

200 pounds per day, ~13.6 kg/hr

Manual or motorized

Is the sheller manually operated or is it motorized?

Manual

Perforation sizes for nuts (mm)

Size of holes on the sieves, measured in millimeters

N/A

Shelling efficiency (%)

Rate of efficiency of the sheller

95%^{user experience report}

Materials

The material used in construction

Used bicycle parts, steel, plywood and cement.

Varieties shelled

List of crops that this technology shells

Any corn variety

Nut breakage rate (%)

Overall percentage of nuts broken

N/A

Design specifications Component and Operation overview including power, portability, facility requirements, preventative maintenance and user training requirements

The product is stationary and pedal powered, it requires no electricity to be operated. It is made from used bicycle parts such as pedals, frame, chains and handles. The pedaling system is connected to a cement flywheel to facilitate continuous pedaling and uses sprockets’ diameter relation to vary speed and torque. The system is connected to a corn sheller in a position where the same person pedaling can feed it.^{Interview with representative in 2018}

Product schematics Design and assembly illustrations

Technical support Technical support provided by

Bici-Tec trains users upon delivering the product on maintenance and preventive measures to ensure product durability. If needed Bici-Tec can also do any repairs or additional technical support.^{Interview with representative in 2018}

Replacement components Availability of replacement components (in-country, by order,...)

Available at Bici-Tec and locally available at bike shops.^{Interview with representative}

Lifecycle Disposal and warranty

The product can be reused afterwards to make more bici maquinas or recycled at a common recycling center since most of the structure is steel.

Manufacturer specified performance targets Designer / Manufacturer specified targets

It can shell up to 200 pounds of corn in one day

Vetted performance Findings of manufacturer evaluations or independent testing centers

According to users it can shell between 1,500 and 2,000 pounds a day if used from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, family members take turns pedaling. This is 7 times faster than manual shelling. ^{User experience report}

Testing organizations Independent lab, academic research centers, etc.

Testing only done by the company with no third party evaluations.

Safety Potential hazards / risks related to operation of this product

As the components are mainly assembled through welding, there is a risk of injury if components are not properly welded together or the welding weaken.

Complementary technical systems Performance of this product is improved with another technology (eg. Cookstoves and Wind-blocking skirts)

Bici-Tec teaches, empowers, and encourages people to use pedal powered machines (bici maquinas) through their school Escuela De Bici-Tecnología Apropriada

Academic research Academic research related to the product (e.g. published papers in peer-reviewed journals)

None

Compliance with regulations Product certifications and standards referenced by designer/manufacturer

Unknown

Evaluation methods Evaluation methods/protocols/guidelines referenced by designer or manufacturer.

Field tests ^{Interview with representative in 2018}

Other information

There is a user experience report available.

In context photographs (0)

You can use the form below to contribute a photo of this product.

In context files & documents (0)

Feedback from users, customers & distributors

Please let us know your experience in using this product through comments below.

Snapshot

Product description Brand name and product description

Bici Desgranadora de Maíz is a pedal powered corn shelling machine. The machine uses bicycle parts combined with a corn sheller to decrease manual labor and time required after harvesting.

Target region(s) Target region for distribution/implementation (listed by country if specified)

Latin America, specifically Guatemala and Mexico.

Distributors/implementing organizations Organization(s) distributing/deploying this product directly to communities/individuals?"

Bici-Tec distributes the product directly and works with community leaders to distribute it.^{Interview with representative in 2018}

Market suggested retail price Price per unit or service price per usage/terms (USD). Subsidies noted.

277 USD (converted from quetzales), Bici-Tec also donates the product partially or completely to families with great need.^{Interview with representative in 2018}.

Competitive landscape Similar products available on the market. May not be a comprehensive listing.

Other corn shelling methods such as manual shelling, MIT’s D-lab corn sheller and Mayapedal’s corn sheller.

SDG targeted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targeted with this product/application/service

Goal 2: Zero hunger

Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth

Target user(s) Target user/consumer base (country, income segment)

Untrained individuals, small-scale farmers

Manufacturing & delivery

Manufacturing/building method(s) Detail regarding solution production or construction method (instructions, mass production capacity, custom made,etc...)

Product Intellectual Property Open source/IP protected (note patent)/trade secret/other?

Open source, through Bici-Tec’s Escuela De Bici-Tecnología Apropriada students can learn how to build and design pedal powered machines such as the bici desgranadora de maíz.

User Provision Model Where can the product be purchased/acquired by end users?

Direct from manufacturer, to place an order call Carlos Marroquin at +502 4080 1572 or reach out to the company through their Facebook page

Distribution to date Number of units that have been deployed, downloads or users to date

~2,000 ^{Interview with representative at 2018}

Performance & use

Fields marked are sourced values that have been evaluated by the manufacturer or a third party, all others are design specifications.

Shelling capacity (kg/hr)

Capacity of sheller, measured in kilograms per hour

200 pounds per day, ~13.6 kg/hr

Manual or motorized

Is the sheller manually operated or is it motorized?

Manual

Perforation sizes for nuts (mm)

Size of holes on the sieves, measured in millimeters

N/A

Shelling efficiency (%)

Rate of efficiency of the sheller

95%^{user experience report}

Materials

The material used in construction

Used bicycle parts, steel, plywood and cement.

Varieties shelled

List of crops that this technology shells

Any corn variety

Nut breakage rate (%)

Overall percentage of nuts broken

N/A

Design specifications Component and Operation overview including power, portability, facility requirements, preventative maintenance and user training requirements

Product schematics Design and assembly illustrations

Technical support Technical support provided by

Replacement components Availability of replacement components (in-country, by order,...)

Available at Bici-Tec and locally available at bike shops.^{Interview with representative}

Lifecycle Disposal and warranty

The product can be reused afterwards to make more bici maquinas or recycled at a common recycling center since most of the structure is steel.

Manufacturer specified performance targets Designer / Manufacturer specified targets

It can shell up to 200 pounds of corn in one day

Vetted performance Findings of manufacturer evaluations or independent testing centers

Testing organizations Independent lab, academic research centers, etc.

Testing only done by the company with no third party evaluations.

Safety Potential hazards / risks related to operation of this product

As the components are mainly assembled through welding, there is a risk of injury if components are not properly welded together or the welding weaken.

Complementary technical systems Performance of this product is improved with another technology (eg. Cookstoves and Wind-blocking skirts)

Bici-Tec teaches, empowers, and encourages people to use pedal powered machines (bici maquinas) through their school Escuela De Bici-Tecnología Apropriada

Research & standards

Academic research Academic research related to the product (e.g. published papers in peer-reviewed journals)

None

Compliance with regulations Product certifications and standards referenced by designer/manufacturer

Unknown

Evaluation methods Evaluation methods/protocols/guidelines referenced by designer or manufacturer.

Field tests ^{Interview with representative in 2018}

Other information

There is a user experience report available.

Feedback

In context photographs (0)

You can use the form below to contribute a photo of this product.

In context files & documents (0)

Feedback from users, customers & distributors

Please let us know your experience in using this product through comments below.

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Bici Desgranadora de Maíz

Bici-Tec

In context photographs (0)

In context files & documents (0)

Feedback from users, customers & distributors