FABRICATION OF MELON SHELLING AND SEPARATING MACHINE

Melon product is on the increase and the application is largely dependent on the shelling and separation process in order to make it readily available for the market and this shelling process is usually an energy sapping task that requires a lot of energy when done manually hence in order to improve shelling efficiency at a reduced cost, safe time and labour associated with manual shelling, a machine was developed. This machine employs a shelling impeller which shells the melon seeds and a blower which separates the seeds from its chaff through another air flow channel while the seeds exit through a different outlet (seed outlet). The machine basically comprises of a shelling chamber, separation chamber and electric motors. A variable speed electric motor was incorporated into the shelling chamber to vary the speed of its rotor and obtain suitable speed for shelling three different types of melon. The materials used in the fabrication of the machine are sourced locally so as to ensure that it is cheap, affordable and easily maintained by the peasant farmers.