Choosing an apple press

When the apple harvest is quite decent, specialized juicing devices come to the rescue, which will preserve the aroma, taste and useful qualities of the raw materials. At the moment, there are a large number of professional and household juicing presses. A comfortable, productive apple press can process a decent amount of juicy fruit. Without significant costs and efforts, you can supply the family for the whole winter with a fortified drink prepared in reserve or make it before consumption.

In a home environment, using a press saves a lot of time to get a fresh product, compared to a juicer. Simple fixture, easy to clean, does not need a lot of storage space.

Pressing makes it possible to take all the necessary cellular elements, the juicer leaves 50% of them in waste. The press is consistently quiet, compared to the annoying hum of juicing machines.

Regardless of the variety, all units are equipped with a perforated basket for placing chopped fruits and a special tray where juice flows.... The basket is represented by a grid in the form of a cylinder. Before loading, the fruits are crushed. For this purpose, it can be provided with a separate equipment or built into the pressing device.

Taking into account the type of fruit, a different impact strength is required. The juice is filtered by means of burlap and wooden grates made of wood, for example, oak or beech. The press functions by raising and lowering the pressure structure. Individual installations are driven by pressure generated by liquid or compressed air.

Each type of design has its own characteristics, positive qualities and different power. Having dealt with the scheme of operation of various devices, it is easier to make a meaningful choice.

One of the key parameters of the device is the pressure generation method. According to this indicator, all devices for squeezing juice from apples are divided into the following categories:

• mechanicalsqueezing juice under the influence of a load that is lowered manually;
• hydraulic with a jack - with partial use of physical force;
• mechanical with electric drive - hydraulic with fluid supply, electro-hydraulic, pneumatic.

Combined devices with the simultaneous use of hydraulics and electricity are especially efficient, they make it possible to process significant volumes of raw materials. The beverage yield reaches a maximum of 70%. It looks like a container filled with juice approximately 65-70% of the mass of the pulp and dry pomace in the remainder.

Mechanical unit for extracting apple juice - budget version. This is a very ancient device for extracting fresh juice, its technology is elementary and worked out to the smallest detail. Fruits are loaded into the perforated basket and covered. When the handle rotates, the screw mechanism of the apparatus is set in motion, the piston is lowered, and the juice is squeezed out under load.In the lower area there is a container for collecting the squeezed drink. A mechanical press requires the use of physical force - its productivity is low (10-30 l / h).

The devices are produced in 2 versions.

• Unframed. The screw is located at the base of the unit. It is the most inexpensive manual juice press generally made in China. In addition, there are mechanical jack presses on the market made in Italy. There is no need to purchase a screw apparatus of this design, since the screw is in contact with the juice, and therefore the lubricant with which the screw is processed is able to penetrate into the juice. And without lubrication, the screw pair can "jam" or it will wear off very quickly, and wear products will get into the drink. In addition, in such presses, the pallet is made of ordinary painted metal, which means that as a result of several years of use, corrosion will begin to appear.

• Framework... The handle rests against the lid, it is more comfortable to rotate, only an impressive force is required. In this example of a screw press for fruit, the screw is located on top and abuts against a specialized piston pad of the device, so the lubricant does not get into the drink. Mechanical frame presses are comfortable to use, since they can be used to squeeze out juice in one cycle, by tightening the screw to the end, without changing places during the squeezing process. But still, with a barrel volume of more than 10 liters, turning the screw is exhausting, especially if a woman uses the press.

Screw presses are quite comfortable for small volumes of juice - 0.75, 3 and 5 liters when used in the kitchen. They are lightweight and lightweight and can easily fit on a kitchen shelf.

When the efficiency of a hand press for squeezing juice is not enough, electrically driven machines are practiced. An electric drive can be seen in screw modifications of juice presses and in screw machines operating according to the method of an ordinary meat grinder. In the first version, the press drive is a tandem "electric motor - hydraulic jack".

In screw devices, which are similar in structure to an ordinary meat grinder, the drive electric motor is directly connected to the working mechanism - the screw. Such a unit is used to squeeze juice from fruits, grapes, berries and tomatoes. It functions according to the following principle: the loaded raw material is crushed with a screw and pressed through a cone-shaped sieve. Such a sieve configuration makes it possible not only to carry out high-quality squeezing of juice, but also to beat off the peel and seeds.

The pneumatic unit is driven by compressed air. The press functions quickly and efficiently, it can extract juice from a wide variety of fruits or vegetables, mainly has automatic control. Only for its activity you need a source of compressed air, and specifically - a compressor. This device will be indispensable in large personal subsidiary plots, on small farms. For 6 acres, it exceeds the needs, but it shows itself excellently when working with a decent amount of raw materials.

Advantages of pneumatic presses:

• no physical strength is required when working with the unit;
• the presence of safety valves that exclude human injury and failure of the press;
• in one cycle, you can get a large amount of finished drink without disassembling and another load of raw materials;
• there are no mechanical moving parts in the structure, which tend to break first.

The body is made of high quality materials. The pneumatic actuator can be purchased separately.The device is good to practice at home with high yields of berries and fruits. Pneumatic presses have high productivity and are more suitable for enterprises producing various types of juices.

The hydraulic device is driven by water. The advantage of such equipment is its high efficiency of use.

These units are more expensive, but more productive, make it possible to extract a significant volume of the drink - up to 70% of the mass of the loaded raw materials... As a substitute for the iron basket, they use wood frames. The fruits are crushed, poured into specialized bags, arranged between the frames. The juice is squeezed out under the pressure generated by the liquid. The press is excellent for crushing juice from most berries, vegetables and fruits, as well as oil. Suitable for someone who crushes juice in decent volumes. The device will find a place in medium and small subsidiary farms.

Such constructions are practiced:

1. Jack on hydraulics (jacking manual or lever press). The power frame can have a jack support on the top or bottom of the basket, lifting the barrel up. Physical effort is not serious here. Even women can handle the spin. Most of the jacking machines are floor-mounted and can operate in a variety of conditions, in particular, outdoors.
2. Units without a jack. The pressure is generated by the fluid flowing through the pipes. A similar arrangement is used in certain types of presses. A liquid pressure of 1.5-2 atm is required. Water, collecting, presses on the fruits folded in a special container. The squeezed beverage flows into the lower tray.

In expensive machines, hydraulics are connected to an electric power drive, which guarantees absolute mechanization of the procedure for squeezing juice from the crushed mass... Water flows through pipes to the diaphragm. A high pressure in the devices is provided by a compressor, due to which the juice is forced through the walls of the perforated basket. The squeeze remains in the container. The electro-hydraulic apparatus belongs to professional equipment.

Positive qualities of electrically driven hydraulic presses:

• high productivity;
• electronic control unit (ECU);
• pressure relief valve;
• after use, just wash the device;
• processing of various types of raw materials is allowed.

The disadvantage of such units is the high price. These units are practiced with significant quantities of raw materials, mainly on an industrial scale. In everyday use, the press completely frees the owners from manual work, therefore, even women can work with it. The device is also practiced when squeezing juice for homemade wine.

The source of energy for the functioning of the press can be:

• electricity;
• mechanical efforts.

The second method is more in demand and often practiced. Moreover, it is less costly, only it needs the use of great physical strength. Electric machines include hydraulic and pneumatic machines. The peculiarity of using an electric apparatus is the inevitability of stable, as well as absolute control of the entire production cycle, at the same time it is important to look after the filling of the container for raw materials. Operation of the electrical unit with an empty basket is not allowed. Excessive heating can cause the electric motor to burn out.

First of all, you need to decide on the type of press. Pay attention to how it works. Of course, a manual apparatus is a cheaper option. You just need to understand that in the process of squeezing juice with its help, you will have to apply a lot of physical strength. If you need a press of high productivity, it is advisable to purchase a device that functions from the electrical network. Basically, for industrial use, machines are produced, the productivity of which is from 10 to 30 l / h.

An important condition is the size of the loading capacity. This determines how much juice the device produces in one cycle.

Take into account the material of the press elements. The perforated basket and working elements in contact with the pulp are made of stainless steel sheets, durable plastic or hard wood.

Among the selection conditions is the price of the press. The most inexpensive are mechanical units. Their price depends on the capacity of the basket. The more productive the device, the higher its cost. If there is no desire to use physical force and spend a lot of money on an expensive unit, you can limit yourself to a hydraulic unit with a jack. It doesn't take much effort to spin.