Size of S.S. Rollers for Sugar Cane Juicer

You need a lot more information to calculate what you are asking for. I suggest you look at the machines used by the roadside vendors. They have been selling fresh sugarcane juice for years and the machines still work. No hygiene though and the rollers are in mild steel.

You may find some info on the net.

i wont mind using mild steel but it leaches it metals...that why i am considering s.s.

my concern is size not the stuff

Don't use mild steel, it rusts in a very short time. If you are rinsing frequently use SS 304 it is fine. Don't make the mistake of rinsing with hydrochloric acid. Use a diluted mild acid like Oxalic acid, it cleans well and disinfects.

the sizes you have conceived are fine . . . however you may increase the diameter to 4 inches if you wish . . . it shall drive up your roller weight and cost substantially though . . .

making the shaft and roller separate gives no performance advantage however construction may be easier and manufacture will definitely be convenient if separate . . .

make sure your rollers are serrated - this helps grip the cane - and also provides paths for the juice to flow . . . .

as far as multiple layer of cane in the second run goes - you must have gap adjustment screws to tighten the crush action with every run . . .

go to http://picski.photoshelter.com/ and search for the string - sugar cane juice machine

once again.your answer is more convincing. but u did not mention various size options. this is important cause some times its hard to find the stuff in your budget. giving different sizes will give different purchasing options as well as pressures on the shafts.

Again....what is the formula for knowing what diameter with what length, (in the range of 4 to 6 inch for length and 2.5 to 4 inch for diameter) will work good, better and the best? and is increase in diameter proportional to increase in pressing power? and what about the pressure on shafts? there are some broken shafts with 3 rollers having 3 inch diameter each.the rollers were of interrupted type though!!

for instance; using 6 inch diameter with 3 inch length? or using 2.5 to 3 inch diameter with 4 to 6 inch length.

Actually, there are no real bench marks for such a small crusher therefore it can only be understood once the invention is made.

I forgot to answer this reply.

The advantage of making seperate rollers and shaft is suposedly to prevent the break up of shaft but this is controversial, I had more vote on making a one piece roller than to seperate them so I went for one piece. Performance is same for both the crafts.

Bob,

I suggest that you contact the Sarina Sugar Mill in Queensland, Australia.

They have a fully operational miniature mill in their tourist area, and are probably more than happy to share technical information about it.

Their tourist web site is: <http://www.sarinasugarshed.com.au/>

Regards

Bill

What grade of Stainless did you decide to use? I saw your query in General Discussion but did not follow it.

For the compression of the cane - I would explore the possibility of spring action - where you would put one of the opposing rollers under constant pressure to the other, and with the serrations as suggested, you could re-run the cane through the rollers as many times as you felt it necessary for maximum yield.

Ken Hollingsworth

I'm mostly considering 304 for the $$ purpose..good stuff at low price but am also concerned about the pitting as mentioned by the research.Perhaps that problem can be controlled by quick washing. or use one grade for few months, see the results, then decide.

springs actions will be needed for the sake of leverage like the one given in road side crushers. where the load will go when the stalk is pressed?? will it go the shafts? Gear motor? if shafts then they have to be beefed-up, perhaps by 1 inch or 3/4 inch. If gear motor than at 1 HP motor should be used. My machine will be used in a kitchen, it is for home use not commercial so perhaps 1/4 HP too should be enough.

Bob,

Remember that during the crushing there is also a significant bending moment on the rollers.

Increasing their diameter stiffens them and thus helps them to withstand this force.

A friend used to work in maintenance in a printing company and he was often having to straighten rollers (and these were of much larger diameter than you will have) which had been bent when too many sheets of paper were fed between them simultaneously.

If I remember correctly, the crushing rollers are often configured as a pair of spring loaded, shallow, loosely fitting gears which crimp and break up the cane fibres more effectively while putting less pressure on the rollers to achieve the result.

do u have a pic of spring loaded shallow loosely fitted gear?

I don't have a photo, but have a look at the hand juicer/crusher on these sites <http://sugarcanemachines.com/stainless-steel-cane-crusher.htm>

<http://catalogs.indiamart.com/products/sugarcane-crusher.html>

<http://www.alibaba.com/product/pk104957859-104736263-101234366/Sugar_Cane_Crushing_Mill_Rollers_Reselling.html>

and do a search on 'sugar cane crushing' or 'sugar cane crushing rollers'

these guys have used different designs which further complicates and in some way, simplifies the invention. This shows there is no one way of making these things. There are machines with fixed rollers too.No screw adjustments.