Coconut Lathe – Low-Cost Peeling Machine
Engineering Capstone Design Project - University of Toronto
I had the privilege in my senior year to work with an overseas client in rural Philippines, CocoAsenso, to develop a low-cost solution to coconut peeling for their small-scale factory. CocoAsenso sources coconuts directly from farmers and employs from the local community for the production process. The current peeling method is time-consuming and extremely physically straining.
After travelling to the factory for on-site data collection, my team designed and prototyped a peeling machine and a flexible, 3-DOF knife-holding mechanism using locally available materials and manufacturing equipment. The prototype reduces manual effort required for peeling by 76%, and lowers the amount of coconut meat wasted in the process by 5%. Our design was awarded 1st place in the Mechanical Engineering Capstone Showcase, along with a $1000 prize.
Learn more about CocoAsenso and their initiatives in Paranas, Samar, Philippines here.
Contributions
- Led ideation process and designed experiments for efficient data collection
- Designed robust, 3D printed knife-holding mechanism using SolidWorks
- Prepared presentations and actively coordinated with overseas clients
Skills
- CAD in SolidWorks
- Ideation and rapid prototyping
- Experiment design
- Project management
- Graphic design
Check out the showcase poster here for more information.