Choosing a nutcracker for a business is an important part of nut processing. The whole process, the quality of the resulting kernel and the cost of the sold kernel depend on the nutcracker and the quality of its work.
The first thing to determine is the processing volumes. It will be a family business and processing 100-150 kg of nuts per day * or industrial volumes calculated in tons.
* This refers to a nut in a shell (round timber). The amount of kernel you get will depend on many factors:
the quality of the nut, the experience of the picker, the quality of the splitting and the choice of the nutcracker itself.
For a family business or part-time job, a mechanical nutcracker is enough. It is better to choose cone-type nutcrackers, they squeeze the nut from all sides and pierce the shell without damaging the kernel. Such nutcrackers allow processing a fairly large volume of walnuts with a high yield of the whole kernel.
As for electric walnut crackers, they differ not only in the productivity and volume of processed walnut, but also in the principles of splitting. It is on the principle of the split that the cost of the nutcracker and the yield of the whole kernel depend.
Roller nutcrackers. The roll nutcracker has a simple, small design and is mainly used for home cracking of walnuts. Such nutcrackers need preliminary calibration of the nut, since the adjustment is made for a certain nut size – from 0.5 to 5 cm.
For example, if you set the nutcracker to a nut size of 2.8 cm and fill in an uncalibrated nut, then the smaller nut will slip past the piercing element and remain uncracked, and the larger nut will be crushed. As a result, it will take more time for re-splitting and more manual force on the bulkhead, and the number of whole kernel will decrease.
With a sized nut, for roll nutcrackers, the percentage of the whole kernel will reach 70%, while the quality of the nut plays an important role – dry / wet, cracked /”greedy”. The engine used also affects the output of the whole core. So, a conventional belt-driven engine will crush the nut harder due to the high crankshaft speed and the percentage of the whole kernel will only reach 60%. The geared motor, due to low revs, will provide a more gentle splitting and will give a percentage of the whole kernel yield up to 70%.
A big plus of roll nutcrackers is the ability to customize them for any nut size from 0.5 to 5 cm. Thanks to this, they can be used for cracking any nuts – walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans and almonds. Such nutcrackers show excellent results on hazelnuts.
Also, to the pluses, you can add their low cost.
The productivity of roll nut breakers ranges from 50 to 70 kg per hour.
The cone principle. Walnut crackers with a conical split principle are used on the industrial walnut cracking mechanism of the standard walnut processing enterprises, they are distinguished by large dimensions and higher productivity. The piercing mechanism is conical plates, depending on the model of the nutcracker, there can be one or two pairs. Thanks to the conical plates, these nutcrackers can work without prior calibration of the nut and still produce a high percentage of whole kernels.
The productivity of conical nutcrackers is from 50 to 200 kg of nuts per hour.
As with roll nutcrackers, the quality of the kernel is of great importance. With good nuts, moist or medium moisture, the yield of the whole kernel will be greater. Calibration, although not required, is desirable. It makes it easier to customize the nutcracker and increases the percentage of the whole kernel.
Before you start choosing an industrial nutcracker, you need to clearly define the processing volumes and the purpose. An electric walnut cracker with a roller splitting principle is suitable when processing volumes are small or a whole kernel is not necessary. The industrial nutcracker of the cone type is chosen by those who aim at high processing volumes and at the same time want to get a whole kernel (butterfly). And remember, whichever you choose a nutcracker, the quality of the nut and a properly built process are important.