Innovator designs gas-run iron box

The next time you set to iron out the wrinkles and creases from your clothes, do not forget to turn the knob on your gas cylinder! With an aim to provide an energy-saving and low cost option to iron boxes operated through electricity, an innovator has come up with an iron box operated with the help of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG).

The innovation consists of an in-built automatic lighter for ignition of the filament in the iron. The box has a capacity of holding 1 kg of gas. The gas flows through a small copper pipe, the size of the pipe is such that 1kg of the gas can be used continuously for 24 hours. The flow of the gas can be regulated by a knob regulator. The iron gets warmed up to 45° C within 2-3 minutes.

While the manufacturing cost of the equipment in mass production is Rs. 2000, the cost for operating the same for an hour is Rs. 1.8/- approximately, according to the innovator K.Linga Brahmam, who believes that the low cost gas operated iron is ideal for tailors and washer men due to its cost effectiveness, and simplicity in design. The product does not consist of complex electrical or electronics parts, therefore eliminating frequent wear and tear, thus maintenance cost is very minimal, Brahmam says.

The product called Gas Operated Iron is a portable appliance, which holds an advantage over conventional charcoal fueled as there is no risk of damaging expensive clothes from charcoal sparks. Owing to the fact that the innovation is very useful where electricity is not available or where there is infrequent and erratic power supply, Brahmam expects that the product holds a good market potential in the rural areas.

The product works on the parameter that the LPG is directly fed from the cylinder to the iron. The iron contains a burner to which the gas flows. The heated iron can be thus be used to iron out creased clothes. The temperature in the heating pad is maintained by regulating the supply of gas from LPG cylinder through a knob regulator. A gas operated clothes iron which maintain required temperature through metal heating plate.

The ready-to-market innovation has received incubation assistance from National Innovation Foundation (NIF), an Ahmedabad-based NGO, and is currently inviting applications for those who are interested in buying the product or technology. NIF has also assisted the innovator in applying for a patent, which is under consideration.

The 8-kg innovation is made of brass, lead, knob regulator, handle, gas tube, filament, copper pipe and flexible pipe.