PROTOTYPE MACAÚBA COCONUT BREAKER MACHINE FOR SMALL SAMPLES

The almond extraction process is costly, as this structure is surrounded by the extremely rigid and difficult-to-break endocarp. On the market there are machines that separate the endocarp and the almond, however they require large quantities of fruit. For research work, one or a few units of almonds are required for laboratory analysis. In view of the above, the objective of this work was to develop a prototype of a "coconut breaking" machine of individualized fruits, aimed at breaking the endocarp mechanically. In the laboratory of the Agricultural Engineering Area located at IDR-Paraná in Londrina, PR, a prototype was built. The machine consists of a metal chassis, 0.20 hp electric motor with a rotation of 850 rpm, a 30:1 rotation reducer interconnected through a belt and pulleys, a tube with a square profile of 40 x 40 mm, with a wall of 3.5 mm and a length of 250 mm, a sprocket with 4 teeth at an angle with a thickness of 30 mm and a diameter of 60 mm. The prototype has an entrance (a tube) into which a pulped fruit is inserted, and this is pressed with a toothed wheel against the metal wall of the tube, causing the endocarp to break. This way it is possible to separate the endocarp from the almond. This prototype helps research work, as it facilitates the extraction of the almond.