Cashew shelling is currently done manually in many countries as the technology has not yet been developed for commercial shellers.
But studies into the development of an integrated system for cashew nut processing at the Post Harvest Technology Centre in Kharagpur have resulted in a new machine based on centrifugal forces.
This force is exerted by an impeller with a diameter of 26.5 cm. Operational parameters such as rpm have been standardized to 3000 rpm to carry out better shelling and prevent vibrations in the machine.
Cashew nuts are consumed all over the world as a snack or used as a food ingredient. In 2004 Vietnam produced 825,696 Mt of cashew nuts, followed by India with 460, 000 and Indonesia with 120,000 Mt.