Introduction

Malaysia is the largest producer and exporter of palm oil in the world, accounting for 41%

of world production and 47% of world exports. Increased industrial agriculture has resulted in

many new oil fields open and to increase research and development to improve the production

and processing efficiency. Breakthrough technology involves oil palm is certainly much impact

on the overall Malaysian society, especially working on farms and palm groves.

Problem Statements

Collector loose fresh fruit is hard and slow work. Currently, loose fruit collection is done

manually and it is laborious, slow and inconsistent due to worker fatigue. To increase the

efficiency and quality of fruit loose collection in oil palm plantations, technology-based

automatic collector loose as this will replace traditional methods and does not require skilled

labor. So far, several models of vacuum machines have been developed to convert the use of

human-to- machine technology. As most of the existing concept of innovation produced using

the technique of vacuum suction machine. This method requires an additional engine to

compressor air on a common system generated using diesel engine which increases the cost of

management. Therefore, a model prototype of automated collection system that will be created

by R2 Lab will use turbocharger technology to replace existing diesel engine. Technology can

greatly reduce the cost of management and reduce the system maintenance.

How’s the System Work

The energy used to drive the turbo compressor is extracted from the waste exhaust gases

from the engine tractor. Using the concept turbocharger where the air is produced by the engine

through the exhaust tractor will be converted into a high-pressure air to be able to produce a

vacuum area and can suck loose fruit. There are two Turbines in a turbocharger.

ReLai Machine – Assisted Loose Fruit Collector

By: Francis Lawrence, Mohamad Amlie Abu Kasim and Khairul Azmi

Mathadir

From R2 Lab franz_law@yahoo.com, mohamad.amlie@gmail.com, neoark87@gmail.com

The exhaust pipe is connected to the turbocharger. While the exhaust gases leave through the

exhaust pipes, rotating blade turbine (called All Turbine Section) in the turbocharger, the

Turbine Wheel is connected to another turbine (called All Compressor Section) which sucks in

water from the atmosphere and picking the fruit loose.

Figure 1: The Concept of Vacuum ReLai Collector

Mechanical Design

In line with the recent trend in agricultural automation, the system aims to replace the

manual picking by hand to the mechanical machine, the idea is to reduce the number of worker

cause of the time-consuming but also tedious. Waste exhaust gases entering the turbine goes

through a turbine section to increase at the pressure in the compressor section to create more

power to picking the loose fruit. Increased exhaust gases drive the turbine wheel faster, this

provides higher air power and produce more power. Turbochargers usually seen as the extra

power on the car's performance, but today, turbochargers are becoming more frequently used to

provide a larger machine in a small capacity engine. The advantages of using a turbo engine in

this system is that it can save time as easy to install on vehicle Machine is designed to make it

easy to place in the machinery and lightweight for easy to carry around.

Fruit Collector

Suction Air

Inlet

Collect Fruit

Turbo Charger Unit

Flow

Air

Gas Pressure

for Exhaust

Turbine

Section

Flow Air

Compressor

Section

Clean Loose

Fruit

Figure 2: CAD Drawing and Components of the ReLai Machine

Benefit

� Loose fruit can be sucked faster

� Less back pain to worker as the task is carried out while standing

� Increase the workers and plantation productivity

� Less Maintenance

� Easy to hander (can put add tractor)

� Minimum hander worker

Conclusion

The fruit collector proposed new system is less tedious, efficient, reliable and time-saving.

Most importantly, the system recycles energy for engine exhaust, easy-to-hander and no need

expert worker. If its use is extended would surely increase the demand on oil palm and guarantee

income entrepreneurs and smallholder oil palm.

Gas Pressure

for Exhaust Turbo Charger

Unit Nozzle

Suction Nozzle Fruits

Collector

Exhaust