Equipment to Improve Work in the First Three Stages of the Silkworm: Design, Prototyping, Construction and Testing

Ristret

Silk is a protein fibre derived from the cocoon produced by the silkworm (Bombyx mori). It is very light, lustrous and delicate to the touch, and has a long shelf life and high affinity for dyes. Currently, 95 per cent of global silk production occurs in Asia, particularly China; but even there, production is now declining in favour of synthetic fibres. Sixty per cent of all plastic used, such as polyester, polyamide, acrylic, etc., is found in clothes. When these clothes are processed mechanically (e.g., in a washing machine) they release large amounts of these small plastic particles, which then end up in the water, the sea, and even in the air. This situation has seen all countries move towards a return to natural fibres, and much scientific research has been initiated to enable the redevelopment of silk production and its market through these conditions. To help the rebirth of the silk sector, the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, through the 2014-2020 RDP, has funded the “SILK” project. As part of this project, the Biosystem Engineering research group of the Department of Agri-Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences at the University of Udine took on the challenge of devising and designing a new prototype machine to help work during the early developmental stages of silkworms. The prototype, built for the first three stages of silkworm rearing, is a step in the direction of devising and designing tools that increase the ergonomics and productivity of work and that could also be used on small farms.