Chapter 1 - Introduction1.1 IntroductionThis study involves the design and fabrication of a prototype of the automated ginger powder machine. This chapter contains the context of the study, problem statement, significance of the study, objectives, scope and limitations, and conceptual framework. Section 1.2 provides a brief description of ginger. Section 1.3 establishes the main problem the group will face. Section 1.4 presents the importance and impact of this study. Sections 1.5 and 1.6 list all the objectives that the group must achieve. Section 1.7 outlines the scope and limitations of the study. Section 1.8 shows the whole process of the machine. 1.2 Background of the Study The Philippines is one of the largest producers of ginger in the world. In 2012, the country ranked 12th in global ginger production with over 27,000 tons of ginger produced. India, on the other hand, is the world's leading producer of ginger with over 700,000 tonnes of ginger produced, covering approximately 35% of global production. China is second, followed by Nepal, Nigeria and Thailand. [1]The soil and climate requirements of ginger make it easy to grow the plant in the Philippines. The Philippines saw steady growth in annual production and yield in a study conducted in the years 2003 to 2008. The total annual production increased by 21.76% from 22,616 tons in 2003 to 27,631 tons in 2012. The annual yield also total increased by 11.98%. , from 6.26 tons in 2003 to 7.01 tons in 2008. [2]In 2008, total ginger production in the Philippines was 27,538 tons, with the largest producers being Cagayan Valley (5,574 tons), CALABARZON (4,707 tons ) and Northern...... middle of paper. ......nants.• The packaging of ginger powder will not be included in the machine. The produced powder will be stored in a dispenser.1.8 Conceptual Framework The peeled and washed ginger will be manually loaded into the machine. The whole ginger will pass through a series of blades which will grate/slice it until it is reduced to small pieces. The pieces will then be automatically transferred to the dryer where the drying process will take place. Hot air will be used to dry the pieces with a moisture content of 8-10%. After the drying process, the dried pieces will then be moved into the automatic pulverizer where they will be crushed into powder form with uniform dimensions. After the process, the powders will be transferred to the dispenser where they will be stored. A human-machine interface will accept weight input from a user and distribute the amount of powder based on the input.