Shelling & Separating System

Cashew Shelling & Separating System

After curing, cured RCN moves into the shelling line, where horizontal blade shellers crack shells open in one pass while a chain of vibratory separators, blowers and roller graders isolate clean kernel from shell and testa — all with minimal breakage.

100–500 kg/hr Capacity
6–12 Blade Configurations
85–95% One-Go Efficiency
<4% Broken Ratio
LOCUS cashew shelling machine with dual rotary cutting rollers
Close-up of LOCUS cashew shelling machine dual rotary cutting blade rollers
Dual rotary cutting rollers, sized to size-matched cashew grades
LOCUS cashew shelling and separating system installed on a factory floor
Full shelling & separating line installed and running at a processing plant
Why It Matters

Shelling is where broken-kernel losses are won or lost

A shelling line has to open shells cleanly in one pass and then fully separate kernel from shell, testa and un-scooped nuts — without grinding kernels into pieces along the way.

  • Blade count is matched to cashew size group — machines are configured per A/B or C/D grade for consistent shell-opening
  • 85–95% one-go shelling efficiency, meaning most kernels come out whole on the first pass
  • Broken kernel ratio held under 4% across the shelling stage
  • Primary and secondary vibratory separators isolate kernel from shell fragments in stages
  • Twin 2 HP blowers and a blowing grader remove lighter shell and testa debris by airflow
  • Roller grader plus dedicated uncut/un-scooped separator route imperfect pieces back for reprocessing instead of losing them

Shelling & separating, by the numbers

6–12 Blade configurations available
85–95% One-go efficiency
<4% Broken kernel ratio
85–95% Line automation level
Machine Architecture

What's inside a LOCUS shelling & separating line?

Shelling machines are selected by blade count for the incoming size grade; separating equipment then runs as one interconnected line with a shared control panel and VFD.

Horizontal blade shelling

6, 8, 10 or 12-blade rollers crack shells in a single pass, sized to match the incoming A/B or C/D grade.

Primary & secondary vibratory separators

Two vibratory separation stages progressively isolate clean kernel from shell fragments and debris.

Twin blower & blowing grader

Two 2 HP blowers feed a dedicated blowing grader that lifts away lighter shell and testa by airflow.

Scooping machines & inspection table

Scooping machines 1 and 2 clear residual kernel from shell halves, backed by a manual inspection table for quality checks.

Roller grader & uncut separator

A dedicated roller grader plus an uncut/un-scooped separator route imperfectly shelled nuts back for a second pass.

Shared control panel & VFD

Feeding hoppers, conveyors, separators and blowers all run off one control panel with VFD speed control for line balancing.

Kernel recovery at scale

Full separating lines are built from feeding hopper through kernel carrying conveyor to inspection conveyor, recovering the maximum whole-kernel yield from every batch.

Continuous processing lines

Shelling and separating equipment is engineered to run continuously downstream of the cooking and curing system, feeding straight into drying and peeling.

Process

How shelling & separating works

  • 1

    Cured RCN feeds from the hopper and conveyor into the shelling machine, matched by blade depth of cut to the incoming size grade.

  • 2

    Shelled material passes through the primary vibratory separator and kernel separator to begin isolating kernel from shell.

  • 3

    Twin blowers and the blowing grader remove lighter shell and testa fragments by airflow.

  • 4

    Scooping machines 1 and 2 recover residual kernel from shell halves, checked on the manual inspection table.

  • 5

    A secondary vibratory separator and roller grader refine the output, while the uncut/un-scooped separator routes leftover pieces back for reprocessing.

  • 6

    Clean kernel travels the kernel carrying conveyor to the inspection conveyor, ready for drying.

3D rendering of LOCUS cashew shelling and separating line showing feed hopper, shelling machine, vibratory separators, blowers and conveyors
Model Range

Shelling machine range & specifications

Four blade configurations, each matched to a specific size grade and throughput range.

Specification 6-Blade 8-Blade 10-Blade 12-Blade
Rated capacity 100–160 kg/hr 200–260 kg/hr 280–340 kg/hr 350–500 kg/hr
Typical size group Configured per incoming A/B or C/D grade from the sizing/grading stage
Broken ratio Under 4%
One-go shelling efficiency 85–95%

Complete separating lines are engineered around these shellers with the full machine set below, running at up to 85–95% automation.

InfeedFeeding hopper & overhead sharing hopper
Stage 1Primary vibratory separator
Stage 2Kernel separator
Airflow2× 2 HP blowers & blowing grader
QualityInspection table
RecoveryScooping machines 1 & 2
Stage 3Secondary vibratory separator
GradingRoller grader
ReworkUncut / un-scooped separator
ConveyingKernel carrying conveyor & input hopper
OutputInspection conveyor & sharing piping
ControlControl panel & VFD
Real Installations

Shelling & separating lines in the field

Full LOCUS cashew separating system with overhead silos and twin blower units

Full Separating System

Overhead separator silos, kernel/shell blower units and control panels running as one integrated line.

LOCUS shelling and separating line running on a factory floor with crated output

Factory Floor Installation

Shelling machine, bucket elevator and separating stages feeding directly into crated kernel output.

LOCUS engineering and service team
Support

24/7 Service & Support

From installation and commissioning to spare parts and troubleshooting, our engineering team supports your shelling and separating line throughout its working life — protecting your whole-kernel yield.

Talk To Our Engineers