Development of tender coconut dewatering system

The project was initiated to design a prototype of tender coconut trimming, piercing and draining system and test its performance efficiency. The trimming of tender coconut for water is extremely hazardous and requires skilled labor. The machine helps in easy, safe and hygienic cutting when compared to inherent method which is difficult to wield, messy and need skill. The machine frame consists of three sections. The first one has a sharp cutting knife which cuts of the top most portion of tender coconut. The second one has a piercing system that makes the hole at the tip of the coconut. The third compartment is similar to the second one but has a sharp rod with holes on it, which helps in easy draining of water from the shell. Optimal settings include the, shoulder knife height of 70–75 cm from base and the optimal cutting of 45 degree. The total time for the combined cutting and piercing operation is identified to be 16 second on an average and for cutting and draining water was 28 sec. The above machine designed can easily reach farmers and local vendors.