SYSTEM

SOLAR CHARKHA, THE COTTON SPINNING MACHINE

REQUIREMENT

Khadi spinning was introduced in India by Mahatma Gandhi Ji. Khadi spinning provided a source of living for the rural population even in remote villages. The spun khadi was woven into cloth and converted into a variety of articles. Over the period of time the demand for Khadi has increased and the production of khadi has reduced, this happened mainly due to lower earning per day of the khadi spinners. The lower wages and the drudgery involved in spinning khadi forced a lot of khadhi spinners to other professions. To increase the daily earnings of the khadi spinners and reduce the drudgeory a Solar powered spinning machine was designed. The solar charkha eliminates manual labour, can spin yarn in a larger capacity and also provide a good income with adequate production to meet current demand of Khadi yarn. The machine however needs to be supervised by an operator. 

TARGET AREA / POPULATION

Khadi spinners

INNOVATION and DESIGN FACTOR

The innovation factor in the system are ;

• Design of long life motor operating on solar.

• Design of a controller for 'soft' start .

• Design of matching drive for retrofitting.

• Motor and Solar panel sizing.

ROAD AHEAD

To develop a 36 spindle Solar charkha.