PROCESSING EQUIPMENTS

The equipment involved in cleaning ,

Air-Screen cleaner cum grader

The air-screen machine is the basic cleaner in most seed processing plants. Almost all seed must be cleaned by air-screen cleaner before specific specifications can be attempted. Machine size varies from small, two-screen farm models to large industrial cleaners with 7-8 screens. Two-screen models are used on farms, in breeder and foundation seed programs and by experiment stations for processing small quantities of seed. In most machines separations are made on the basis of differences in only one physical characteristic.

 The air-screen machine, however, effects separations on the basis of differences in size and weight of seeds. This enables the air-screen machine to use three cleaning elements: aspirator, in which light material is removed from the seed mass; scalper in which good seed are dropped through screen openings; but larger material is carried over the screen into a separate spout; and grader, in which good crop seed ride over screen openings, while smaller particles drop through.