摘要 |
A high production nutcracking method and apparatus is provided wherein the nuts are fed from a hopper on a feed conveyor, while being singularized and oriented in the hopper. The oriented nuts are thereafter advanced by the conveyor individually in succession to a cracking apparatus, which comprises a plurality of cracking units mounted on a rotatable turret. The rotating cracking units are cyclically controlled so as to clampingly engage and lift each oriented nut from the advancing conveyor, and so as to preserve its orientation. The nut is then cracked and thereafter released at separate spaced points along the circular path of travel of the cracking unit.
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