**4. Results and discussion**

The outcome of the study showed the local availability of the required skills and material resources to locally manufacture a ceramic water filter hydraulic press machine in Nigeria. The total cost of the local production of the press though slightly above the set target, is approximated at \$1000 USD and is about one-thirds of the cost of acquiring a press of similar specifications of foreign origin without the attending shipping and clearing costs.

The manufactured ceramic water filter press was effective in the shaping of ceramic water filters as indicated in the evenness in form and thickness of the filters pressed during a test run of the filter press (see **Figure 33**).

The technical specifications of the ceramic water filters produced from the manufactured filter press are outlined as having an inner height of 15 cm and inner diameter of 28.5 cm; with an estimated volume capacity of 12 L. This is specified to fit into a 30-L capacity bucket with a rim diameter of 30 cm. Shrinkage allowance of 10% was estimated and factored into the design to ensure the resulting filters fit onto the desired bucket.

However, there were a few limitations to the study as outlined thus: At the size required for the set of moulds, it was difficult to find a lathe machine of a size that could hold the cast moulds for machining. Therefore, alternative materials may be explored besides aluminium, especially such materials as would not require

**Figure 33.** *Freshly pressed ceramic water filter using the fabricated press.*

machining/polishing. Also, there were issues surrounding the dimensions presented in the CAD sketch as generated by a draughtsman, this resulted in error in the moulds cast. This was, however, corrected by altering the dimensions of the mould during the process of machining in order to achieve even thickness around the product; and this action reduced the size of the mould and hence the resulting filter is shorter than other filters available.
