DESIGN OF A PNEUMATIC BALING SYSTEM FOR BURLEY AND FLUE-CURED TOBACCO

Abstract Current on-farm tobacco-baling technology generally utilizes hydraulic power to press tobacco into bales prior to marketing. The high system pressures at which hydraulic systems operate pose a potential risk to workers. Further, hydraulic systems are costly and subject to hydraulic oil leaks, which can contaminate baled tobacco. A pneumatically driven, vertically oriented, multistroke baler was designed as a safe and affordable alternative to current hydraulic balers. Pneumatics were chosen because of the lower system operating pressure, potentially lower costs, and much reduced risk of tobacco-bale contamination. The transmission of power was achieved through a reversible pneumatic gear motor operating opposing left- and right-hand acme threaded rods coupled together to form a power screw. The power screw actuated the bale plunger through a scissor-jack design, which was used to counter the nonlinear force response of compressed tobacco. The completed baler was tested with burley tobacco grown d...