The “Automatic Macadamia Nut Cracking Machine” is a mechanical engineering project developed with great dedication by Cù Quốc Sơn (class 10A1), Nguyễn Quỳnh Chi (class 12C4), and their supervising teacher Nguyễn Thùy Dương. The idea originated from Sơn’s own experience as his family grows macadamia trees and faced difficulties in cracking the nuts. From there, Sơn collaborated with Chi, shared their concept with teachers, and received enthusiastic support from Dương to develop it into a full-fledged science project.

Macadamia is known for its high economic value and broad market appeal. Dubbed the “queen of nuts” for its rich nutrients and health benefits, the macadamia tree is increasingly cultivated across the province, especially in Tuần Giáo and Mường Ảng districts, and Điện Biên Phủ city. Among these, Tuần Giáo has emerged as the “macadamia capital” of Vietnam, thanks to focused investment, strategic planning, and guaranteed output.

Chi shared about the project’s initial phase: “We conducted surveys and found that processing macadamia nuts, especially cutting grooves in the shells, was being done manually one by one in households using basic tools. This led to low productivity and inconsistent results. Some places used Chinese-made cracking machines, which are fast and produce in bulk, but their designs are incompatible with the natural structure and size of local macadamia nuts. As a result, many nuts were not fully cracked or were damaged. These machines are also expensive, costing around VND 120 million, which is not feasible for households or small businesses.”

Sơn added: “That’s why we aimed to create an automatic macadamia nut cracking machine that combines modern technology with traditional principles to improve production quality and efficiency in Điện Biên. The product reduces labor costs and meets the specific needs of our mountainous province, where skilled labor is limited.”

Applying their physics knowledge of sensors, the students designed a machine that works as follows: Macadamia nuts are loaded into a hopper; a rotating disc feeds each nut into the cracking blade; a stepper motor drives a flywheel to generate torque for cracking; another motor lifts the blade; and the cracked nut is then moved to a finished product container. The machine operates efficiently thanks to continuously arranged blades, speeding up the cracking process. Users can adjust the cracking force to suit shell hardness, ensuring the kernels remain intact. The blades are easy to replace without dismantling much of the machine, saving maintenance time. It’s user-friendly and doesn’t require high technical skills to operate. The machine can process 8-10kg of macadamia nuts per hour.

The team spent nearly five months researching and perfecting the machine, overcoming many obstacles and reworking several flawed prototypes. Chi recalled: “Our first prototype couldn’t crack the shells because the blades weren’t hard or durable enough. The second version fixed that, but the rotating table was off track, causing imprecise cracking. For the third version, we added a sensor to stabilize the rotation, but the blade surfaces were too close together, so they didn’t cut at the intended spot on the nut. We kept improving the blades and machine functions until we had a product that met expectations. We knew from the start that this would be a complex challenge, but at times the setbacks, especially discovering a major flaw just over a week before the provincial science competition, really tested us. Thanks to the guidance and encouragement of Dương, our teachers, and our families, we pulled through and created the best version we could.”

Thanks to this determined spirit, the automatic macadamia nut cracking machine was completed at just one-sixth the cost of imported machines. The project team tested the machine at several production sites across the province. Results showed stable operation, with over 80% successful shell separation and minimal kernel breakage.

The project won First Prize at the 2024-2025 provincial Science and Technology Competition. It then went on to win a prize at the National Science and Technology Competition for Secondary and High School Students for the same academic year, a rewarding experience that enriched both students and their mentor with valuable knowledge and skills. Teacher Dương shared: “I will continue working with the students to improve the machine’s performance and efficiency so it can be applied in real production settings. We are considering incorporating AI to optimize operation and performance.”

Recognized for its value and potential through two prestigious competitions at provincial and national levels, the “Automatic Macadamia Nut Cracking Machine” project by students and teacher of Điện Biên Phủ city High School deserves further support, connection, and development to fully realize its potential for the local agricultural sector.