Development of a Cutting Machine for Food Material

Abstract

Cutting is a major operation in food processing. It is time consuming and labour intensive. In Nigeria and most developing countries, it is normally done manually with the exception of a few processing factories where some imported equipment are used. In this study, a low cost motorized, table, rotary cutting machine was designed and fabricated using locally available materials to solve the problems associated with cutting of agricultural and food products in Nigeria. The machine consists of a feeding compartment, cutting compartment, power transmission and outlets. It was designed for cutting vegetables, fruits and confectionaries like chin-chin and salad ingredients. The machine has a throughput of 37.8 g/s. A unit of the machine costs fifteen thousand and four hundred Naira (N15,400.00). The maintenance of the machine is simple and recommended for small holders, local processors and home use.