A pine tree bark peeling machine, developed within Hitit University and registered by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TÜRKPATENT), is being prepared for mass production at the Çakır Tarım factory in Çorum, which manufactures products for the agricultural sector.
Dr. Muhammed Emin Erdin, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Hitit University's Faculty of Engineering, collaborated with Mustafa Başer, who conducts research on agricultural machinery development, to design a machine that would peel pine tree bark faster and with less dust.
Following trials on various designs, a design with an increased number of blades and a certain angle of inclination, allowing the machine to contact a larger area of the tree trunk, passed the tests successfully.
The machine, which received a registration certificate from TÜRKPATENT through the Hitit University Technology Transfer Office, has been contracted for mass production with Çakır Tarım, a company manufacturing products for the agricultural sector in the Çorum Organized Industrial Zone (OSB).
Technology Transfer Office Coordinator Assoc. Dr. Özgür Özdilli stated that Hitit University has registered 5 patents and 7 utility models, one of which is a pine peeling machine.
Özdilli noted that the university is the only one in Türkiye specializing in "machine and manufacturing technologies," adding, "Therefore, I believe this outcome, this agreement, will provide significant added value in terms of university-industry collaboration and specialization. We have transferred this design to the Çakır Tarım company. The prototype is now complete, and we expect good results as we begin mass production."
Highlighting their focus on patent and registration efforts, Özdilli said, "Currently, 5 patents and 7 utility models have been registered at our university. We currently have 25 patent applications. As these applications are registered, we connect them with companies through our Technology Transfer Office."
Designed Machine 50% Faster Than Similar Machines
Bilal Türker, owner of Çakır Tarım, a company producing agricultural machinery in a 5,000-square-meter indoor facility in the Organized Industrial Zone, stated that the most important feature of the new machine is its approximately 50% faster operation.
Explaining that they collaborated to make the machine more user-friendly, Türker noted:
"We have completed the machine. We have conducted tests, and since it was successful, we will proceed with mass production. There are similar machines, but we developed this one to be more technological, better, and more robust by giving the blades an angle, increasing its speed by 50%, and minimizing dust that is harmful to human health, thus enabling higher quality work. Our company produces 25 different machines. The pine bark peeling machine will be our 26th product. We are continuing our efforts to export. Our R&D studies continue with universities to create more value-added products for our country."
Kazım Çolak, a carpenter in the Çorum Industrial Zone, also tested the new pine bark peeling machine in his workshop.
Çolak stated that with similar machines, they have to rotate the tree 5-6 times to peel the bark, but with the new machine, because its blades are numerous and angled, they can easily peel the bark by rotating the tree only 3 times.
