Electric Throwing Wheels

The throwing wheel or potter’s wheel is the primary equipment used in the making of pots and other thrown ceramic ware. In the ceramic studio, after the clay has been pugged in the pug mill into workable consistency, the throwing wheel is then used in the forming of pots and other vessels. There are various types of throwing wheels, such as the kick wheel, slave-and-master wheel, and the electric wheel. The electric wheel is evidently the contemporary best and easiest to use. The throwing wheel looks like a simple device with a spinning, turntable. However, it is not at all a simple technology, since torque and the control of working speed are very important, making them very rugged hardware that are delicately made. However, this delicate but hardy nature of throwing wheels makes them costly equipment to import since, until now, local knowhow in Nigeria is only been able to produce crude approximated versions in various Nigerian university art schools.
Owing to this challenge, the Nicost research team designed and produced standard electric throwing wheels, using locally available materials, and based on DC 24v power supply. The electric throwing wheels were produced with steel and aluminium wheel head to make it very enduring and free from rust. The torque and speed are provided by a geared electric motor, and controlled by a speed control foot pedals. In delicateness, hardiness and functionality, the electric throwing wheel designed and produced by the Nicost research team is at par with imported forms. These indigenous machines have been put to test in the ceramic studios of the Department of Visual Arts and Technology, University of Cross River State, and they serve all throwing needs. The Nicost electric throwing wheel technology is better than imported versions because it was produced indigenously and the knowledge for maintaining it is also available. Nicost’s DC 24v electric throwing wheel is one that all other art schools can buy and use in their own studios, at a fraction of the cost of imported ones.