UNIVERSITY OF ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL AND MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

BSc. Mechanical engineering

Project Topic: Automated Coconut Cutting Machine

By

Name ID

ZIKU JOSHUA KWABENA UE20035316

AKROFI PERCY OBENG UE20030416

SALIU ABDUL RAZAK UEB1209718

ASIEDU AARON ASAMOAH UE20031516

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Coconut is one of the most available fruit that can be seen everywhere in Ghana. It has more health
benefits which people are ready to go in for (Mackay & Mensah, 2004). Doctors and food
researches hold that coconut have some health benefits to the human system when taken on regular
bases. The juice contains glucose, vitamins, hormones and minerals, and is widely considered to
be a refreshing drink. The flesh contains carbohydrates, calcium and phosphorus by which most
people are ready to opt in for (Balch, 2006). The preparation of coconut for consumption typically
in Ghana, involves dehusking of the tip by the use of cutlass or knife. This method of preparation
seems to be complex and unsafe hence creating the need for an innovative way of preparing the
coconut for public consumption.

This project aims at designing an automated coconut cutting machine to enable easy and safe
extraction of the juice and food. Automation is one of the vital developments which must be
factored in our daily lives. The involvement of automation in the cutting of coconut is to improve
the quality of cutting with less or no human effort, to save time, and also reduce the possibility of
danger whiles cutting.

1.1 BACKGROUND

Among 97 coconut producing countries, out of which 15 was selected for a sample study from
2005 to 2015, Ghana was ranked 3rd and 15th among the selected countries on the average coconut
in productivity and production respectively(Tsiboe-Darko, 2014).

According to Mr. Kwaku Boateng (2013), CEO of Green coast consult, coconut farming is second
to cocoa production in Ghana. From 2010-2016, the annual area planted of coconut has been on
the rise from 25.20 to 27.70 Ha. Moreover, according to factfish (2010), the total domestic coconut
production quantity (tons) whether inside or outside the agricultural sector from 1961-2017,
including commercial production and the production from kitchen gardens is shown below.

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 Figure1.0 Ghana coconut production (factfish, 2010)

There are hundreds of quality properties in coconut that can only be described as amazing. Coconut
is used for so many purposes in the field of agriculture, health, environment, mining, and the
industry as a whole. In Ghana, coconut is used for some agricultural, domestic and health
purposes(Uwubanmwen, Nwawe, Okere, Dada, & Eseigbe, 2011).Coconut is used for making
beverages in the food processing industry, it is also used in artefact making and decoration as well.
According to a research conducted in Kumasi, the number of coconuts purchased each day ranges
from 50 to 100 per vendor. However, about 5% of the coconut vendors in Kumasi sell from 200
to 250 coconuts on average per day.

Figure 1.1: A picture of a table showing the range of the number of coconuts sold per day in
Kumasi. (OFORI, 2016)

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The annual income for the coconut farmers and oil producers is about ₵17.7 million in Ghana.
However, the major portion of the plantation is along the coastal ecological zone of Ghana. The
consumption of coconut is proportional to its production (plantation) so far.

A lot of people take in coconut on daily bases at public places in Ghana due to its health benefits.
It has been a norm of late to see coconut vendors at social gathering like funerals, picnics, sport
events, church conventions, etc. selling tender coconuts. In serving customers, the vendors prepare
the fruit by placing the tender coconut on a firm surface or in hand and slice off a portion of the
immature husk at an angle. This is done by cutting the narrow tip where the fibre content is less
exposing the hard shell using a sharp machete or just a sharp knife.

Figure 1.3: A coconut vendor slicing a coconut (AKLORBORTU, M. D., 2013)

To this end, the above method used in preparing the fruit for public consumption is stressful and
time consuming when the number of customers is huge. There is also the danger of injuries and
long-term side effects as a result of repetitive motion when the vendors keep preparing the coconut
using their hands. However, there can be an effective way in preparing the coconut for customers
within a short period and also prevent the dangers mentioned above by the use of a simple,
portable, and easy to operate device when the numbers are large. So far there are machines that
assist in dehusking coconuts and also extracting its juice but these machines are usually design to
be manually operated. In other to enhance the efficiency in serving coconut lovers, we see the need
to design and construct an automatic coconut machine that shall assist vendors in extracting the
tender coconut juice for customers under hygienic conditions. These in addition will save time and
more energy of coconut vendors.

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1.2 Problem statement

Coconut vendors go through a lot of stress and also use a lot of time when preparing tender coconut
for a large number of consumers at social gathering using traditional tools such as sickles, cutlass
or knives. These expose the vendors to dangers like injuries and repetitive motion disorders
(RMD). In finding a solution to this problem, we intend to design and manufacture an automatic
coconut cutting machine which shall be use for cutting coconut with less effort and to reduce the
old traditional way of extracting the tender coconut juice for a large number of coconut consumers
at social gatherings and roadside.

In all, this shall create an effective way to serve a large number of consumers and also avoid the
dangers associated.

1.3 Justification

The traditional method of splitting coconut has been observed to be labour intensive, dangerous,
and a slow process which result in low productivity. Although, coconut selling can generate decent
income compared to general labour in the industrial sector, it fails to attract young entrepreneurs
into that sector of the economy especially in developing countries such as Ghana, where job
opportunities are limited.

This research work when done shall lead to the design of a coconut cutting machine to do away
with the traditional method of cutting coconut. A well-designed machine for coconut cutting can
easily be operated by few numbers of people regardless of the gender or age. The introduction of
an efficient mechanized way of cutting coconut will help improve and increase productivity in the
country.

1.4 Objective

The main objective for this work is to develop an automatic coconut cutting machine for extracting
the rich endosperm juice.

Specific Objective

1. To design a safe working coconut splitting machine with a high commercial value.
2. To determine the performance characteristics of the coconut cutting machine.
3. To do the cost analysis of the designed and constructed coconut splitting machine.
4. To design an efficient machine that is capable of operating with no or minimal damage.
5. To eliminate the hazards involved in preparing the coconut.
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1.5 Methodology

The purpose of this research is to design, fabricate, test, and evaluate an automatic coconut cutting
machine.

1.5.1 Design concept

The design concept is that coconut cutting is accomplished by the torgue of a running motor. The
machine consists of 6 main parts:

1. Machine Frame
2. Cutting base
3. Knife set
4. Motor
5. Tanks receiving coconut juice
6. Arduino set with sensors

1.5.2 Operation

The coconut would be placed on an inclined plane for it to slope into the machine. The sensor in
the machine will detect the presence of the coconut and give feedback to the stepper motor. The
stepper motor starts with a high torgue and moves the lever, which the cutting blade is connected
to. The cutting blade is now pressed against the coconut for it to split. The coconut juice is extracted
into a tank whiles the splitted fruit is collected in a separate tank. The machine is found to operate
safely without damage to the fruits. It is very simple to operate.

1.5.3 Design alternative and selection

Conceptual Designs shall be generated base on the mode of operation of an automatic coconut
cutting machine. In other to select the most appropriate design, the generated conceptual designs
shall be evaluated against the following parameters: support, method of cutting, ease of loading
and unloading, safety of the user, easy maintenance, reliability and portability.

1.5.4 Design testing and validation

The automatic coconut cutting machine shall be tested after designing and manufacturing to know
whether the objectives have been satisfied.

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1.5.5 Material selection

Selecting the right material for an engineering production is a very important aspect of the general
process manufacturing. Materials would be selected over a wide range of those available by
carefully analysing their properties in relation to the expected function of the equipment under
construction and this gave us a fair idea of which materials will be most appropriate for the
production. The materials used for producing equipment have a direct impact on the performance,
the strength and the service life of that particular equipment or tool.

1.6 Scope of Study

The project focuses on contribution to modern way of extracting coconut juice from a coconut
cutting machine capable of cutting a large number of coconut accurately within a limited period
of time. The removing of the husk of the coconut will not be a task to be accomplished by this
project.

1.7 Work Plan

This project is been scheduled to be accomplished in the second semester of the 2019/2020
academic year. Below is the table and chart depicting the proposal activities and time scheduled?

S/NO ACTIVITY TIME SYMBOL

(WEEKS)
1 PLANNING AND ORGANISING 2 A
2 LITERATURE REVIEW 12 B
3 DEVELOPMENT OF CONCEPTUAL DESIGN 10 C
4 EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF 2 D
CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
5 CONSTRATION AND DESIGN OF THE 6 E
SELECTED DESINGN
6 REPORT WRITING 16 F
7 MISCELLENEOUS 2 G

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 time 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

activities

1.8 COST ANALYSIS

The table below shows the materials that will be used in the manufacturing of the automatic
coconut cutting machine

ITEM DESCRIPTION QUANTITY UNIT TOTAL ₵

NO. PRICE ₵

1. Cutting blade /knife set 1 60 60

2. Angle bar 8 30 240

3. Metal plate 2 100 200

4. Motor 1 450 450

6. Electrode 2 packs 30 60

7. Tanks 2 30 60

8. Sensor and Arduino pack 1 200 200

9. Shaft 1 130 130

10. Bolts and nuts 7 5 35

TOTAL 25 1435

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REFERENCES

Balch, P. A. (2006). Prescription for nutritional healing: Penguin.

Mackay, J., & Mensah, G. A. (2004). The atlas of heart disease and stroke: World Health
Organization.
Tsiboe-Darko, A. C. (2014). Institutions and Socioeconomic Change in Two Oil Affected Districts
in Ghana. University of Ghana.

Uwubanmwen, I., Nwawe, C., Okere, R., Dada, M., & Eseigbe, E. (2011). Harnessing the
potentials of the coconut palm in the Nigerian economy. World Journal of Agricultural
Sciences, 7(6), 684-691.

AKLORBORTU, M. D. (2013). Daily Graphic Ghana: Mother sells coconut to support

family: Accessed on 17th May, 2019, from http://www.graphic.com.gh/news/generalnews/480-
mother-sells-coconut-to-support-family.html.

MR K BOATENG (2013). Business News: Coconut farming in Ghana: Accessed on 15th May,
2019, from http: https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/Coconut-is-second-to-cocoa-
in-Ghana-Farmer-528836

Factfish (2010). Coconuts, production quantity (tonnes) - for all countries. Accessed on
17th May, 2019 from
http://www.factfish.com/statistic/coconuts,%20production%20quantity

OFORI-AGYEMAN CLARENCE MAY, 2016. ASSESSMENT OF QUANTITY OF

COCONUT WASTE GENERATED AND MANAGEMENT IN THE KUMASI
METROPOLIS, GHANA. COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING BSc.(Hons) A thesis submitted to
the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and
Technology, Kumasi.

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