The Technology Used In Seed Cleaning Equipment

| Friday, February 20, 2015
By Olivia Cross


The first thing that one should understand is why seeds are purified. Generally, seeds are prepared prior to any planting in order to remove the chaff from it in order to allow sowing through mechanical planter and also enable the seed storage with minimal chances of fungal or bacterial infections. If well analyzed, this activity helps in determining the purity of seed collection. The machinery used in carrying out this important step in agriculture is referred to as a seed cleaning equipment.

Machines mainly used include grain cleaners such as air screeners, magnet, cylinder separators, and gravity tables among others. They are used worldwide for processing seeds like maize, wheat, maize, paddy, barley etc. However, it is practically hard to get one single seed cleaning tools to do exactly what you wish to accomplish especially with such various crops.

In choosing the type of equipment for seed cleaning consider things such as the capacity of the machine in removing the specific plant remains on the seeds and the size of the specific seeds to be prepared. A good machine is one that accepts a wide range of seed sizes and this is achieved through use of screens of various sizes. Such facilities minimize the costs of operation.

There are two terminologies involved in such machinery, that is, simple machine which has only one working part or two and a complex machine with several working parts. The most important part is the screen which depending on the manufacturer can have various sizes. Labeling of these machines simplifies the initial stages of the processing by specifying the size of the screen since the native seeds vary in size. There are some machines that are mobile and some that are stationery in the design each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The machine operation is affected by the changes in width, length and thickness of the seeds. It is also influenced by the aerodynamic properties, surface conditions, the shape of the seed and its specific weight.

This machine usually has a low cost initial investment. The costs associated with the maintenance are economical with various parts replaced easily with little efforts. In some instances, the spare parts are availed for replacement of the deteriorated ones.

Applying simple and effective techniques to clean moderate amounts of seeds and proper cleaning is essential in removing much of the inert materials and dust and also remove empty, non-viable grains. These cleaning methods involve various means of threshing and sorting seeds using screens and airflows.

Airflow plays an important role in that not all seeds will be viable, however, even though they may look normal. Due to immaturity, underdevelopment or eaten by predators, some will be light in weight. The light seed will not be removed by simple screening but with airflow either by winnowing or aspiration. Winnowing uses air that flows horizontally to separate heavy from light particles. Clean heavy seed can be then swept up and stored while the remaining is discarded. On the other hand, aspiration uses air that is in vertical motion to suspend particles in column.

Ultimately, it is important to note that the process can be harmful to human health and use of safety attire like dust masks, heavy boots, leather gloves is recommended. Plastic tubes and other containers of different sizes may also be used. Good ventilation is also required.




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