Development of Rubber Creping Machine for Improved Profitability in Rubber Production in Agusan del Sur, Philippines

Selling rubber creep sheets is a potential way to increase profitability in rubber farming, especially in Agusan del Sur, one of the top rubber producers in the Philippines. However, creping machines that are suitable for rubber farmers in the region are unavailable. Hence, this study designed a creping machine to increase rubber production profitability. A single factorial experiment in a Completely Randomized Design using three (3) treatments (angular speed) was used to assess the machine's performance. These include creping input capacity, output capacity, efficiency, and thickness of rubber crepe. The results showed the machine's highest output capacity and efficiency of 228.37 kg/hr and 53.70 %, respectively. Among all treatments used, two (2) treatments resulted in a standard crepe rubber thickness of 4.39 mm and 4.92 mm. It is recommended that a 13-rpm speed must be used as an operating speed for the machine to produce an ideal result. The economic analysis of the machine for the said operating condition revealed a benefit-cost ratio of 1.89 and a return on investment of 89.06%. This result indicates that the machine is economically feasible. Hence, utilizing the machine will increase profit for rubber farmers if they sell rubber crepe sheets.