Development of a Cherry Tomato Seed Press Machine Using Double Textured Rollers to Enhance Production Efficiency in a Community Enterprise

Abstract

This research focuses on the development of a double-roller cherry tomato seed press machine with a rough surface to enhance production efficiency within a community enterprise. The machine employs double rollers with a rough surface and is powered   by an alternating current electric motor, which transmits power through a belt to a roller pulley for pressing the seeds out of the tomatoes. This study compares the performance of the newly developed seed press machine with that of a traditional seed press machine by conducting experiments on cherry tomatoes of three sizes: 1, 1.5 and 2 cm in diameter, respectively. The results of the experiments revealed that the developed seed press machine significantly reduced the time required for pressing tomato seeds compared to the traditional seed press machine. The time taken for pressing 1 kilogram of tomatoes with diameters of 1, 1.5 and 2 cm was 1.08 seconds, 1.12 seconds, and 1.14 seconds, respectively, using the newly developed machine, whereas the traditional seed press machine took 2.15 seconds, 2.20 seconds, and 2.40 seconds, respectively. The efficiency of the developed cherry tomato seed press machine, compared to the conventional seed press machine, improved by 16.28, 49.09 and 52.50 %, respectively.