Design And Implementation Of A Machine To Separate Coconut Meat (Cocos nucifera L.) From The Shell

Abstract

Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is a commodity with high economic value that is widely processed on a home industry scale. The process of separating coconut meat from the shell is generally still done manually, making it less efficient and risking injury. This study aims to design and implement a coconut meat separator machine to increase the efficiency and productivity of coconut processing on a home industry scale. The research method uses an experimental approach through the stages of design, manufacture, and testing of machine performance. The machine is designed with a 6.5 HP gasoline engine, an A-75 type V-belt transmission system, a round steel shaft (iron axle) with a diameter of 1 inch and ½ inch, UCP 206-20 bearings, and a gearbox with a ratio of 1:60. Tests were conducted at two variations of rotation speed, namely 1057 rpm and 3290 rpm. The results showed that the separation capacity increased at a speed of 1057 rpm, the separation capacity reached 64 pieces/hour with a work efficiency of 64%, while at a speed of 3290 rpm it increased to 82 pieces/hour with an efficiency of 82%. As a comparison, the manual method was only able to separate 74 pieces/hour with a work efficiency of 74%. Thus, increasing the machine rotation speed has a positive effect on the capacity and separation efficiency compared to the manual method. However, increasing the speed has an effect on the decrease in the separation success rate from 67% to 56%, as well as an increase in the level of coconut meat damage from 33% to 44%. Fuel consumption is also higher at low speeds of 1057 rpm, namely 1.40 L/hour compared to high speeds of 3290 rpm (0.92 L/hour). The results of this study indicate that the machine is able to significantly increase the capacity and work efficiency, with recommendations for optimizing the blade design and operating speed to reduce product damage.