DESIGN AND PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT OF MECHANICAL SAFFRON HARVESTING MACHINE

Abstract

This report presents the work done in the design and prototype development of a mechanical saffron harvesting machine. Saffron is a spice that is derived from the flower of the Crocus sativus plant. It is one of the most expensive spices in the world, mainly because of the amount of labor required to harvest the threads from the flowers. Each flower produces only three stigmas, which are handpicked and then dried to make saffron. Saffron production can potentially have a positive impact on the GDP of Pakistan, although it may not be a significant contributor to the overall economy. Saffron is a highly valued spice, used for various culinary and medicinal purposes, and is known to be one of the most expensive spices in the world. However, saffron production is highly labor- intensive. Pakistan has suitable climatic and soil conditions for saffron cultivation, particularly in the northern areas of the country. However, saffron production in Pakistan is still in its early stages and limited in scale. There is a dire need for mechanization in this domain. Efforts have been made in this regard and different models have been developed across the world, however they have their own shortcomings. We hereby present our mechanical model with a view to catering to such limitations. Our model comprises a vehicle mountable machine with a rotating gripper that carefully plucks the saffron flower without damaging the stigmas and then safe transportation of the flower to a container or a basket. The design was made on Solid works and the necessary calculations e.g., gear ratios, plucking force, stresses on the flower stems were done. Eventually, the prototype was developed using the engineering knowledge that was acquired during the degree.