In the Sericulture industry, for the production of silkworm eggs, there is a necessity to identify the male and female moth before they emerge out of the cocoons (as they tend to pair immediately). This has led to methods to identify the males and females at the pupal stage itself. In order to carry out the identification prior to emerging, the cocoons need to be cut open and the sex determination carried out. They are then conveniently paired after emerging. Presently the cocoons are cut manually using a blade and on an average 400 cocoons per hour can be cut by a single person, which works out to be 3500-4000 cocoons per day (in a shift of 8 hours).

Cutting cocoons is a tedious process and involves workers who have to sit for long hours in a single posture. There is also a possibility of injury to workers during this process. In order to overcome this drudgery, injury and to minimize the cost of labor, the Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute, Mysore has developed a machine for continuous cutting of cocoons. This machine can cut 6000-8000 cocoons per hour or about 50,000 cocoons per day (in a shift of 8 hours). The machine can be operated for long hours. The cutting of cocoons by this machine is comparable to that of cocoons cut by hand.

The machine is simple in construction and can be fabricated/manufactured using locally available material like mild steel (angles, rods, etc), bearings, V-belts, pulleys, bolts and nuts, electric motor (1/2 HP), etc.

Method/Process: The deflossed cocoons are automatically fed through a hopper to a conveyer belt (specially fabricated to carry the cocoons). As the conveyer belt moves, a rotary blade placed in the path cuts the cocoons. The cocoons are briefly gripped during the process of cutting.

List of Plant & Machinery Required: Fabrication/Mechanical workshop with facilities for turning, sheet metal cutting, welding, spray painting, etc.