Automatic Coconut Scrapping machine

Published on 01 Apr 2021. Written by Athulya Menon

Why does science and technology advance so much? Why is it that we put so much effort and money into thinking about, experimenting with, and establishing new theories and principles? The primary reason for the advancements made in science is because, at the end of the day, these advancements help us lead a more comfortable life. Innovation is what led humanity to the top of the food chart, and it is what helps us stay there.

We, as humans, are always on the lookout for ways to better our lives and make living simpler. In this article, we will be looking at a Mechatronics project, that helps us do just that!

Project Description

Every new technology finds some way to make our lives a little more comfortable. In the twenty-first century, time is money, and hence, any piece of technology that helps us save time is considered vital. The primary goal of this particular Mechatronics project is to create an automatic coconut scraping machine. Not only will this machine help us get grated coconut faster, but it will also make the dangerous operation, a whole lot safer!

Need for Automatic Coconut Scraping Machine

Before starting to design anything, the engineer needs to ask themselves why they are doing so. Understanding the market, and the users' needs are what helps in the creation of a functional and sustainable project. There is no point in creating a high-quality product if there is no demand for it. Hence, the first question we must ask ourselves is not, "How to make the machine?", but rather, "Why to make it?"

In our case, the current machines available in the market are seen to be time-consuming, and not all that safe. This leads to a window of opportunity, wherein, if someone were to create a more efficient and reliable system, people would flock to it. This is the "Why" we need to justify designing such a machine.

Coconut is a crucial ingredient in most South Indian food, and hence the demand for freshly scraped coconut will never go out of need. Therefore, developing machines that will help people scrape coconuts faster and with less risk will be a boon to many. That is precisely what we are trying to achieve via this project.

Design Constraints

Consume minimum space
Consume less energy
Minimum weight
Safe to operate
Easy to assemble
Easy to mass-produce
Cost-effective
Must save time for the user
High quality
Reliable
Aesthetic
Environment-friendly
User-friendly

Project Implementation

First and foremost, the parts have to be drafted using a modeling tool and then checked for strength and compatibility.
Each individual part of the device must be put through strength and stress analysis to make sure it can endure the forces that will act on it.
Secondly, interference between parts must also be checked to ensure that there are no unresolved and imbalanced forces between them.
All parts of the device must be built according to the dimensions specified after the interference testing so that they mate without excess wear and tear.
The holder once fabricated, must be attached to the shaft. This holder shall hold the coconut in place while scraping.
The holder must be attached via mounts designed for it.
This entire attachment is then fixed onto a mainframe.
The other hand should also have another shaft which will be connected to the motor.
The motor is run using an electrical circuit.
The shaft pushes the coconut towards the blade, and then the motor moves it, helping to scrape the coconut efficiently.
The clamp has two cylindrical screws to lock the arrangement.
To avoid scattering, the entire system, if needed, maybe enclosed in a glass container.

Concepts Used

Basic Mechanics
Drafting and Computer-Aided Design
Computer-Aided Manufacturing
Kinematics of Machinery
Dynamics of Machinery
Knowledge about Tinkercad or SolidWorks to design the model

Components Required

Blade
Holder
Shaft
Mounts
Joints
Bolts and Nuts
Connecting Rod
Motor
Supporting Framework
Base
Screws
Battery and Wires

Kit required to develop Automatic Coconut Scrapping machine:

Technologies you will learn by working on Automatic Coconut Scrapping machine:

Automatic Coconut Scrapping machine

Any Questions?

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