TABLE LIFTING CANDLE MAKER AS POTENTIAL

ALTERNATIVE INNOVATION TO MANUAL CANDLE MAKING

CHAPTER I: THE PROBLEM AND A REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Introduction

In the Philippines, religions are highly appraised having a lot of beliefs, festivals and religious
gatherings. In 2015, it was estimated to have a count of 86 million Filipinos or roughly about 82.33% of
the entire country’s population, profess the Catholic faith.[1] To pray for great intentions intending to give
light to prayers, candles are lit. In most Catholic rituals and celebrations, candle play a very important role.
Candles are lighted during mass celebrations, liturgical, funeral processions and even on any forms of
praying ceremonies. The practice of candle lighting in Roman Catholic plays an important tradition in
churches, communities and families. Its origins may be traced back in the Old Testament where an oil lamp
is lighted to “keep a flame burning perpetually” as per stated in Exodus 27:19-20.[2] These candles are
believed to be lighted to signify the presence of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

These candles have also been part of local people as a source of income here in the country. Locals
are manually making them and selling them outside every churches and cemeteries – indeed there’s
money in wax. In this study, mainly focuses on small business candle makers providing them a probable
efficient mechanism targeting on eliminating most of the manual processes.

The study intends to provide a mechanism to small local candle makers a low-cost machine helping
them vast the production with less time of human intervention. Focusing on the target market, implicates
the designing of a machine in a user friendly, affordable enough for the target market and efficient to use.
On this matter, the researchers are not just helping the Filipino candle makers an income generating
machine but as well time saving process, they could much lend on selling and even to rest, spending most
valuable time to their respective families.
WORKING PRINCIPLE

Cooling and Finishing - Wax Melting - Wick Centering

Designing a table lifting candle maker is an efficient process eliminating the manual intervention of transferring the wax
from a certain temperature to the other. This is the manual process of the making involving the dipping into the melted wax
transported to cooling process. Not only limited to temperature change lifting process, the design is intended to eliminate the
manual handling of the candle bar set by injecting a conveyor type motor for the easy moving and lifting of finish products.

Candle bar set is the mechanism that would hold the wick or the “pabilo”. This would also be designed to carry and
accommodate a large number, to help increase the vast production of candles. Overall, the project design’s goal is to
minimize the manual human intervention in an easy to use machine, affordable to local candle makers.

 Synthesis and Justification

Candle making for locals is a manual process of heating and setting to hardening the wax used in the making. Its manual
process takes time and effort on transferring back and forth in the repetition of the process until achieved the thickness of
candle desired. Below are the phases in manually making the candles according to Way Out West Blow in Blog, year 2004 [9]:

Phase I: Wick Preparation. Wicks are placed upside down on a container hanged with additional weight attached on the
bottom to help the wax creates the straight long shape. A wick can create two candles having weight attached on both ends.

Phase II: Wax Melting. In the same container where the wicks will be processed upon, functions as the holder of wax to
melt. Container will be placed in a big saucepan or pot with water and having the pot on fire to help the wax melting. Once
the wax is fully melted and liquid, the candle making begins.

Phase III: Candle Making. Prepared wicks are now to be dipped upon the melted wax, dipping it down then to raise
straight up. Then dunk the candles to another container with cold water to help hardening the wax. Down-Up-Dunk process is
manually repeated until desired thickness achieved.

Phase III: Finishing. As candles are made according to desired output, the weights attached will now be removed. And
have the final dip to round them off and final finishing touches. Final products are now hanged in the racks as finish products.
The manual process illustrated above can be minimized and can eliminate non-value
adding processes in the help of designing a mechanism on the Down-Up-Dunk
repeatedly done process. On the other end, there are existing candle making machines
in the market however are big and expensive ranging its cost from 450 to 80,000 USD
depending on it size and capacity according to Alibaba’s existing candle making
machines on sale.

The target market of this study are the locals having small businesses. Thus, the
project aims to innovate a mechanism in a low-cost budget but of quality. Study
focuses on the mechanism of table lifting as an alternative to the repeatedly done
Down-Up-Dunk process. With the innovation, the designed machine will help the locals
to increase it’s production due to time saved and eliminated human manual
intervention.

Theoretical Framework

The implementation of existing technologies helps us innovate making a process

effective, doing right things, and efficient, doing things right the first time to enhance
the income generation and low-cost budget capital needed in the benefit of the target
market. Making use of the technology such as table lifting mechanism can help
improve the process eliminating the unnecessary and help quicken the making of
candles. Thus, engaging a technological advancement made the process quick, simple
and easy.
 The study’s focus is on innovating a candle maker machine with the mechanism of table lifting – up and down motion and
reverse. This mechanism would be the alternative to manual Down-Up-Dunk process. Reciprocating motion is a linear motion
repeatedly done on the same directly like up-and-down or back-and-forth defined by Wikipedia. There are available mechanical
devices involved on this design study. These devices can change a form of force into another, forming linkages by putting levers
together as mentioned by Bitesize BBC [10] as below:
Reverse Motion. It is the linkages that changes direction of an input, so the output goes away. This would be integrated on the
designing of transferring from melted wax to dunking in cold water to harden. This will be repeatedly until desired thickness of
candle is achieved.
Parallel Motion. It is the linkages which uses two fixed pivots to make an input and output move in the same direction. This
would be integrated on the designing of dipping down and raising up the wicks on both melted wax and cold water.
Angles in Linkages. It is replicated in a reverse motion to have Z angle. It features two internal angles remaining similar for so
long as the input and output are being put on parallel direction.
With the help of the above-mentioned mechanism the fabrication of the desired machine is probable to achieve its main goal
of eliminating human intervention through eliminating manual processes, fast moving and is flexible as to available low-cost
materials in the making and running of the mechanism insuring the affordability but not risking the machine dependability and
sustainability.

Conceptual Framework

* Target Market Aspects Consideration * Efficient Candle Maker Machine Designing * Table Lifting Candle Maker

The projects main concept is to investigate deeper on the needs of the target market to help them be efficient on the production
of candles. Researchers intend to further study on existing machines and manual processes done in the making to help innovate
a candle make machine more efficient and feasible to local candle makers.

The first step in conceptualizing a design project is to fully acquire sufficient knowledge on the theories to be well guided on
the making of the desired invention. Thus, the information should be used and helpful upon conceptualizing a project together
with scoping a specific target market. Zooming into a target market is parallel to the concept designing of the machine as
researchers are putting the markets needs and satisfaction together. With this regard, a greater probability of project’s
feasibility.

 Implementation and testing is making the idea into action, verifying the invention to suffice the goal of providing
the local candle makers an efficient machine of help to vast production and vast income generation.
 CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY
 Material Selection

The fabrication of the design project starts on the material selection. Since candle making involves
different temperature for wax melting and cooling, materials should be temperature adjustive and
durable enough to sustain for a long time working in a vast production with less machine downtime.

 Container & Pot Set Up

Containers serves as the holder for both liquids involved in the process. Such that first container is for
the melting of wax partnered with the pot set for heating. On the other hand, second container
contains cool water for wax cooling or hardening.

 Up-Down & Reverse Motion Mechanism Assembly

This is the mechanism to include on the innovation. Up and down motion or considered as dipping are
the most done in the manual processing of candle making since the process has to be repeated
multiple times until desired thickness is achieved. Manual processing of dipping will be replaced with
this mechanism plus the reverse motion acts as the alternative to manual transferring of candles
from melted wax to cooling.  

 Switch Buttons and Wire Connections

After the design project being assemble, buttons will serve as the control for turning the machine
operational. It is attached together with the wire connections to allow electric power to flow.

 Final Assembly of Table Lifting Candle Maker

As final Table Lifting Candle Maker assembled from, it is now ready for testing, modification and
evaluation. This is to further quality check the fabricated output machine.
Statement of the Problem
The project design aims to innovate and refine the existing
manual processing of candle making in benefit to local
makers and sellers. Specifically, the researchers would like
to accomplish the following objectives:
Characterize the effectiveness of a table lifting candle
maker – designed in low cost budget, in quality and
sustainable
Design a table lifting candle maker minimizing manual
processes in lifting mechanism
Determine if the design can reduce human intervention
and effort on manual candle making, efficient and on mass
production by process flow reduction
Evaluate the accuracy of the mechanism, designed table
lifting candle maker
The illustration above is the Up-Down and Reverse Motion. The up-
down functions as the dipping of wicks to both melted wax and cool
water. The reverse motion functions as the transportation from one
container to the other. The first container contains the wax and the
other contains the cool water so wax could harden. This is a
repetitive process until thickness is achieved.
 Here below is the ideal illustration of the assembled Table Lifting Candle Maker Machine:

The containers are arranged diagonally in the purpose of the

mechanism’s reverse motion rotating in 180 degrees. The above
design has lessened the manual intervention of repetitive action of
both dipping and transporting from melted was to the cool water.
Wick holder is also designed to hold a large volume approximately
140 candles to allow one-time production, mass produce. Further,
the speed and velocity is on machine operators control according to
the desired candle thickness. Showcased below are the dimension
of the parts of the mechanism:
Significance of the Study

The study will help to minimize manual process and human intervention in making candles by the help of the designed machine. It
will benefit the researchers, future researchers and local candle makers as a target market to this design.

Researchers: The project design will help the researchers to enhance their knowledge, creativity and skills as to innovating a
purposeful mechanism, and utilizing learned and skilled developed in fabricating it.
Future Researchers: This study will serve as a reference to future researchers as a provider of information they can utilize for the
innovation of related studies. It would be of benefit having a reference to continually innovate and deliver a room for improvement as
technology world progress.
Most Immediate Impact: The designed mechanism intends to provide an efficient way of vast candle production assisting local
makers in a vast income generation. Designing a mechanism in a low-cost budget, sustainable and dependable.
Secondary Benefits: The project will help reduce manual process and human intervention by its up-down and reverse motion
mechanism, efficient to use and cost-time saving.

Scope and Limitations

Subject Delimitation
The project covers only on the designing of a table lifting candle maker focusing on the table lifting mechanism helping the process to
be efficient and having less human intervention. The project also intends to achieve a low-cost budget design, in quality and
sustainable materials to make the design feasible to target market.

Place Delimitation
The scope of the study will only focus on the available local small candle making businesses of Metro Cebu mostly associated near
churches, cemeteries and related business line.

Time Delimitation
The study conducted in November 2020 and is expected to be finished on 2021 for the first semester of new normal Academic Year
2020-2021.

Research Setting

The study is intended to create a designed machinery for the use of the local candle makers in small businesses along Metro Cebu.
Assuming to have greater demand of candles in most populated barangays in Cebu considering the big portion of catholic population,
the research will focus on the topped 5 most populated barangays. The study will have it’s respondents from: Guadalupe, Lahug, Tisa,
Basak San Nicolas and Labangon (PSA Census 2015). [11]