Sustainable Manufacturing
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Plant Fibre Processing
This is the last of the Small-scale Textile series and covers the pre-spinning processes which make plant fibres suitable for textile manufacture. The book includes not only familiar plant fibres such as cotton, sisal and jute, but also less well known fibres from plants such as Himalayan nettle, pi...
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Technology Development in Rural Industries
This book is a study of the development and acquisition of technology by a group of small and medium-sized rural industries in Sichuan province, China. The enterprises are mainly collective ones, but they are compared with other ownership groups, such as private and state enterprises. Careful analys...
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How to Measure the Energy Used to Fire Clay Bricks
What defines an energy-efficient brick-firing technology and how does it compare to other technologies?
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How to Make Carpentry Tools
Aaron Moore, Musaemura Sithole
Squares, gauges, clamps and planes are among the tools whose construction is described in detail in this book, along with useful guidance on the maintenance and repair of woodworking tools. These low-cost tools are suitable for use in large training institutions or small workshops and are designed t...
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Metal Casting
An introduction to small-scale non-ferrous casting. Includes step-by-step instructions on how to make equipment using local materials; and provides information on moulding techniques, pattern making, core making, the use of wax and metal preparation.
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A Small Lime Kiln for Batch and Continuous Firing
In 1996 Practical Action commissioned Paragon Ceramics to build an experimental lime kiln at Dedza in Malawi in partnership with local lime burners.
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The Survival of the Fitter
This book traces the development of Ghana's informal engineering sector through stories of the progress of the actual people involved. The first generation of grassroots engineers are wayside vehicle mechanics, or 'fitters', engaged in repairing machinery. The author argues that the evolution of a f...
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Hot-dip Galvanizing
The demand for more durable fasteners to extend the life of equipment such as fishing vessels makes this illustrated introduction to hot-dip galvanizing an invaluable addition to the bookshelves of works managers, engineers, government officials and field project officers. Hot-dip galvanizing is...
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Appropriate Paper-based Technology (APT)
Appropriate Paper-based Technology (APT) is a comprehensive survey of the technologies for making a wide range of products from chess-men to armchairs, from trays to solar cookers, using paper. It is a revised and updated edition of the Manual of APT published by IRED, Harare, 1989 and 1991. The rev...
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Bamboo Preservation
This brief looks at some of the options that can be used in bamboo preservation.