M’lore: This machine deshells coconut in a wink

DHNS

• It is useful for industries preparing coconut products, say designers.

 

Mangalore, 06 May 2012: Can you crack a coconut in one second? Well, the Coconut Deshelling machine designed by students of NITK, can neatly crack the coconut shell before you can blink your eye.

 

NITK students Mohammed Tariq, Prajwal Kumar, Madhusudhan G, Raghav Raghunathan, Madhumitha and Nitesh took up the project as a technical challenge from Founder and MD of Swastika Coco Products Private Ltd Sharath Chandra Shetty last September.

 

After months of research and planning, they designed the Coconut Deshelling Machine and the team claims that it is the first of its kind in the country.

 

The machine has four motors attached to four fast rotating blades. One has to keep the coconut in between the four blades and the coconut gets cracked in four sides in one second.

 

Speaking to Mohammed Tariq says that each motor in the machine runs on 1/20 horse power at 4000 RPM. One of the motor is adjustable as the coconuts vary in sizes.

 

Once the coconut is cracked, it has to be heated and the shell comes away easily. This machine is useful for industries who prepare coconut products. The entire machine is built with the cost of Rs 22,000. The motors are the costliest as they cost Rs 3,000 each, he adds.

 

“We prepare desiccated coconut at Swastika Coco products. We have to deshell 30,000 coconuts everyday to get 2500 kgs of desiccated coconut. It is a laborious process and requires manual and skilled labour.

 

In case the NITK team successfully completes the challenge, it will be a huge milestone in the coconut products production industry,” says Sharath Chandra Shetty and adds that with this machine, he can increase the production.

 

The students who have designed the machine are a part of E-Forea (Engineers Forum for Entrepreneurship awareness) of NITK Surathkal. “This challenge was placed in our annual fest ‘Engineer,’ where we have to give solutions and ideas. We decided to take forward the challenge and design the machine,” says Tariq.

 

The NITK students have started an organisation called ‘Tech Ventures,’ which acts as a platform for industries to place their real-time techno-entrepreneurial challenges to students. E-Forea is part of Tech-Ventures, says Raghav.

 

“The project is in an infancy stage and it still needs to be developed. We may need six months to complete it,” says Prajwal.

 

“I am thrilled and excited to see the enthusiasm of the students. If the project has patent value, then we shall definitely patent it in association with the project’s main sponsor  Sharath Chandra Shetty,” says NITK In-Charge Director Dr G Umesh.