Development of an Adaptive Centrifugal Working Tool for Mineral Fertilization Using Rapid Prototyping Technologies

Introduction. Improvement of the agro-industrial complex involves the creation of new and modernizations of existing working tools and machines. The important conditions for this are the application of modern technologies and ongoing cooperation with the actual manufacturing. The aim of the research is to develop an adaptive centrifugal working tool and improve the quality of mineral fertilization. Materials and Methods. The adaptive centrifugal working tool was developed and manufactured based on studying the state of the matter and requirements to machines for mineral fertilization. At all stages of the research, there were used computer-aided design and rapid prototyping methods based on additive technologies. Results. As a result of the use of the presented working tools, the machine operating width has increased by 10.0‒22.5%. Experimental working tools, in comparison with serial ones, allow decreasing uneven distribution of mineral fertilizers by 13.4% due to their redistribution from the central zone to the edges. Discussion and Conclusion. As a result of experimental studies, the efficiency of the developed adaptive centrifugal working tools has been proved. It allows increasing uniformity of mineral fertilizer distribution and the machine operating width. Modern design methods make it possible to considerably reduce time and costs.