Sanitary Pad Machine for Rural India

[ameetm]

We are a team of impact entrepreneurs, that went to India to give need and performance based scholarships. During our journey, we identified several girls that continued to drop out even with financial aid. Reasons varied; as an American male, the one that struck me the most was ---> "My daughter cannot go to school because she has become a woman now"

Girls could miss up-to 50 days of school without a way to manage their menstruation cycles. With that many missed days, many girls had no option but to drop out. It turns out that 300 million women and girls in rural India spend 20% to 25% of their lives consumed with the functional and social stigmas of menstruation -- that shook me and led us to a start a for-profit enterprise with a goal to make menstruation a non issue for girls and women living in rural India.

We began by figuring out the product -- we designed a 100% bio-degradable and 40% cheaper than competitors. Rather than centrally manufacturing these pads in large factory, we decided to partner with community based organizations through a franchising model and produce the product locally.

With no machine in the market filling our requirements, our next objective is to build a machine with two key requirements:-
1) Production Speed between 25 and 40pc/min
2) Low power usage and full automation since machine will be operated in rural areas

Below is a sample production flow:-

Below is our prototype machine:-

Our biggest challenges at the moment include:-
1) The shredder/Pulverizer takes 10 seconds to complete its process. Need to ideally cut that down to 1 second
2) Reducing the energy usage of the machine

Would appreciate your suggestions

[enmity]

when you say 10 seconds, do you mean that it takes 10 seconds to manufacture enough material to make one pad? or more than one?

and are you making pads that go on the outside of the body? or tampons that go inside the body?

[steppenshoe]

A pad is a pad, it goes on the outside, a tampon goes on the inside.

Many countries like that would never allow a tampon because it goes on the inside.

[Enraged]

Would there be any advantage to have a separate machine to do the pulverizing? And then dump the pulverized material into you machine?

[enmity]

A pad is a pad, it goes on the outside, a tampon goes on the inside.

Many countries like that would never allow a tampon because it goes on the inside.

I laughed when I read your comment (sorry), countries all over the world have been using these for a very very long time but you can usually only find them in major cities now a days. A huge reason that they are completely out of the question for usage in rural areas is because of the price which is around the same they are in the USA about 10 bucks a box, but that could be a weeks wages in different parts of the world so that's out of the question. The reason I asked if it was a tampon or a pad was because the diagram shows a round tube which could be a tampon but the title says pad so I was just making sure.

EDIT. Never mind just realized I was looking at the rollers to roll the flat napkins into shape, my mistake.

[steppenshoe]

They have had cars in most countries for 80 years as well and in many countries woman can't drive. Especially in sharia dominate countries, though they sell tampons they are not to be used by any Sharia woman at all. Actually, it's not funny. In area of Iran and Saudia Arabia they are not allowed either, although they are sold in stores. I have several friends from Iran, one family never heard this about no tampon use, another said she could not use a tampon until she was married.

[enmity]

They have had cars in most countries for 80 years as well and in many countries woman can't drive. Especially in sharia dominate countries, though they sell tampons they are not to be used by any Sharia woman at all. Actually, it's not funny. In area of Iran and Saudia Arabia they are not allowed either, although they are sold in stores. I have several friends from Iran, one family never heard this about no tampon use, another said she could not use a tampon until she was married.

A pad is a pad, it goes on the outside, a tampon goes on the inside.

Many countries like that would never allow a tampon because it goes on the inside.

again your missing the point, you say in many countries they would not allow the use of a tampon, not usage by different cultures. Yet your contradicting yourself by saying that some women can use them once their married and some that use them without any problems? your comment was that they would never be allowed in some countries in which case I was pointing out they are in major cities not who can use them . And you bringing up the cars thing is kind of weird, women not being able to drive is law in some countries but I've never heard one about tampon usage. And a main reason that many women don't wear tampons in Islam dominate counties is because many of them don't even know they exist not because they are not allowed too.

[steppenshoe]

Well I guess I should have said its religious based(and some of these countries are religious controlled). I am not contradicting myself as the woman that could not use until married would have been severely punished when she was younger. And not punished like we do here. As you must know as it seems you have traveled the large cities are more westernized. It really not worth bickering about. I will concede your point.

As far as the machine I think the prototype needs to be cleaned up a bit. Its pretty rough and removing some rust and painting although not functional will do a lot will go a long way in getting anyone interested in using it as a sanitary product making machine.

[enmity]

Well I guess I should have said its religious based(and some of these countries are religious controlled). I am not contradicting myself as the woman that could not use until married would have been severely punished when she was younger. And not punished like we do here. As you must know as it seems you have traveled the large cities are more westernized. It really not worth bickering about. I will concede your point.

As far as the machine I think the prototype needs to be cleaned up a bit. Its pretty rough and removing some rust and painting although not functional will do a lot will go a long way in getting anyone interested in using it as a sanitary product making machine.

I understand what your trying to say I went to Saudi Arabia for work a couple of years ago with a female co-worker, spent a week in cultural classes so we wouldn't offend anyone with our stay and that was one of her concerns. but I understand your point, back to topic i to agree that the machine needs to be cleaned the rusting particles could get into the pad material so when its used since its in contact with bodily fluids could leach back into the body causing harm. I have seen then make a pad on "how its made" they are using spiral augers to cut the material into a fine powder and the machines are made of what looks like aluminum and lexan maybe even some stainless steel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UAo5DBh ... re=related

[steppenshoe]

Sounds like a machine that is needed and could make a difference. If it helps woman go and stay in chool it is a great thing.