Track: Product Development
Abstract
This study focuses on the design and development of a molding machine that can be used in the process of making edible gum paste petals for export-quality cake decorations of Company A. During the period of the study, Company A employs manual labor in their production process. The processes of making these cake decorations (rose gum paste) include kneading/sheeting of sugar gum paste followed by manual cutting of petals or herbs, then manual thinning and forming the cut petal tips, and finally, manual joining or sticking of petals to form a rose decoration. The researchers were able to develop a molding machine with the application of Computer-Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) and pneumatics technology to speed up Company A’s cutting, thinning, and forming processes of rose gum paste. Sheets of gum paste were used to evaluate the performance of the molding machine.