The Design and Construction of an Electric Motor-Driven Corn Shelling Machine and Productivity Analysis Compared to the Manual Shelling Method

Abstract

Manual corn shelling, still widely practiced by smallholder farmers in Indonesia, is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and contributes to post-harvest losses of approximately 8% annually. This study aims to design, fabricate, and test the performance of an electric motor-driven corn shelling machine using a 200-Watt motor operating at 1236 rpm, a pulley and V-belt transmission system, and a shelling cylinder made from a 1.5-inch diameter pipe, and to compare its productivity with the manual shelling method. The research method followed the stages of literature study, design, fabrication, performance testing at three duration variations (5, 10, and 15 minutes), and quantitative data analysis. Test results show the machine produced 2.528 kg of shelled corn in 5 minutes, 6.040 kg in 10 minutes, and 8.280 kg in 15 minutes, with an average production capacity of 33.232 kg/hour. As a comparison, the manual method produced only 0.742 kg, 1.146 kg, and 1.324 kg over the same durations, equivalent to an average capacity of 7.03 kg/hour. This difference indicates an average productivity increase of 397.7% compared to the manual method. These results indicate that a small-capacity electric motor-based corn shelling machine is feasible as an appropriate technology solution at the household and small-to-medium farming enterprise scale to reduce post-harvest losses and lighten the operator's physical workload