Diseño de molino pulverizador para cacao, capacidad 150 kilogramos por hora

Abstract

The present project aims to design a pin-type cocoa pulverizing mill with a processing capacity of 150 kg/h, oriented toward small-scale cocoa producers, with the purpose of obtaining cocoa powder and adding value to the product, justified by the need for accessible, efficient, and easy-to-maintain equipment that improves the competitiveness of the national agro-industrial sector. The development of the project was carried out through the application of mechanical design criteria, considering the calculation and dimensioning of the main components of the mill, such as the hopper, pins, pin-holding discs, transmission shaft, pulley system, structure, and fastening elements, using food-grade materials, mainly stainless steel, as well as computer-aided design tools and static structural simulations performed in ANSYS software to validate the design. The results obtained show that the mill meets the required capacity and safety conditions, presenting maximum deformations of 0.019 mm in the shaft and 0.0037 mm in the pins, with safety factors above the minimum recommended values for this type of machinery. In conclusion, the proposed design is technically and structurally feasible, ensuring safe, reliable, and suitable operation for cocoa grinding in semi-industrial applications. In economic terms, we promote a circular economy by providing metalworking services that can build our design for $3896, which can be sold for $4450, giving us a profit of $554 per mill and allowing us to sell it at a very competitive price compared to the national market. Keywords: Grinding, power transmission, mechanical design, mechanical safety.