D-Lab Corn Sheller

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

MIT's D-lab and partners (community partners, Whirlwind Wheelchari International)

Manufacturing/Building Method

Do it yourself (DIY) instructions are available online. The user needs to build a metal jig which requires welding operations. The metal jig can be used to produce as many corn shellers as desired. Once the jig is ready, a piece of metal sheet can be shaped into a corn sheller following 7 simple steps (Cutting the metal sheet, forming the ridge, forming the cone, riveting, spot welding, finishing the sheller). Tools needed to make the corn sheller include: metal jig, hammer, shears, pliers, wood block, pipe or rod.

Intellectural Property Type

Open Source

User Provision Model

Do it yourself (DIY) instructions are available online, workshops can be offered through local partners to teach the communities how to build and use the product

Distributions to Date Status

D-Lab’s corn sheller and jig have been taken to more than 10 countries.

Design Specifications

D-Lab corn sheller is highly portable and requires no electricity. It can be built from any type of metal sheet locally available. The mold for the sheller, is cut to fit the local variety of the corn. The sheller is placed on the corn cob, and the corn bob is span while being held still with the hand. The ridges in the sheller pulls out the grains from the cob as the cob is being span in the sheller. It requires virtually no training to be used, and some tool handling skills to be built. It can be built varying the corn sheller diameter depending on the user's needs.

Technical Support

The product is distributed through help of local community partners and usually easy to use, in cases of further assistance, partners can be reached for assistance, although this would be rare.

Replacement Components

It can be built with locally available materials, which can be used as replacement as well.

Lifecycle

It can be recycled afterwards.

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

Ability to build anywhere with local materials, affordability.

Vetted Performance Status

The sheller is said to work at least four times faster than by hand

Safety

Potential cuts while building and handling metal sheet. Depending on the materials used the tool can present rusting.

Complementary Technical Systems

None

Academic Research and References

Compliance with regulations

Unknown

Other Information

D-lab corn sheller can be used as part of creative capacity building workshops. Ward, L. 2008. MIT's Guru of Low-Tech Engineering Fixes the World on $2 a Day Popular Mechanics