Manual processing of walnuts is a painstaking business, it takes a lot of time and effort, while the processing volumes are minimal. For large volumes, manual labor is replaced by equipment.
For each process has its own machine:
The calibrator sorts the inshell walnuts by size. Pre-calibration later saves time on setting up nutcrackers and other equipment, increases the percentage of whole kernels and reduces the number of undershoots.
An industrial nutcracker cracks the shell of a walnut without damaging the kernel. This is an important processing process, but far from the most time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Sorting cracked walnuts is what takes the most time in manual processing. One person per day iterate overs about 17-25 kg of cracked walnuts for 8 hours of work, this leaves about 6-9 kg of a clean kernel. For this reason, enterprises use sorting equipment.
The most optimal equipment is a vibrating sieve with an installed aspiration system, since it simultaneously sorts the kernel by size (fractions) and separates the kernel from the shell, partitions and debris.
In real conditions, everyone is faced with the fact that after the vibrating sieve, a part of unsorted walnut remains. It is called undershoot and is more or less present during processing. The amount of undershoot directly depends on the quality of the walnut – with a greedy or freshly harvested walnut, there is more of it, with a high-quality one – less. To minimize manual labor, a drum-type nutcracker is used to cracking the undershoot.
Quality control of finished products is the stage where it is impossible to do without human participation. Along with the kernel ready for packaging, there may be stray pieces of shell or a spoiled kernel. The staff at the inspection table inspects the kernel and removes anything that should not go into the package.
Also, you cannot do without workers who manage and monitor the operation of the equipment. But it is possible to reduce the number of people who carry the walnut between installations. For this, lifting conveyors are used. They move the walnut evenly between installations, ensure a smooth process and allow you to achieve maximum equipment productivity.
In total, manual work is only necessary for plant control and visual final quality control. The rest of the work can be automated, which cuts costs, lowers kernel costs, and increases enterprise productivity and profits. Also, automation frees you from problems with hiring personnel and the human factor.