Design and Experiment of a Laser Scoring Device for Camellia oleifera Fruits

To address the low shelling rate and high seed breakage in existing oil tea fruit shelling devices, a novel laser scoring device was designed for fresh Camellia oleifera fruits. Experimental studies were conducted to optimize the key parameters of the custom-built laser scoring machine, aiming to improve scoring qualification rates. Through single-factor tests and response surface methodology, a regression model was developed to characterize the relationship between the scoring qualification rate and the following three variables: conveyor speed (12 mm/s), laser power (97 W), and defocusing distance (10 mm). The study revealed interactive effects among these parameters. After optimization and verification under ideal conditions, the device achieved a peak average qualification rate of 85.6%.