To clean wheat effectively, various machines are used in combination, depending on the scale and quality requirements. The most common machine used is the wheat cleaning machine or grain cleaner, which may include several components: pre-cleaner, vibrating separator, gravity separator, aspirator, and sometimes a destoner or magnetic separator.
The cleaning process usually begins with a pre-cleaner, which removes large impurities like sticks, straw, and stones. Then, the wheat goes through a vibrating screen separator, which uses different-sized sieves to sort materials by size. Larger particles stay on top, while smaller debris falls through. After that, an aspirator uses air flow to suck out light impurities such as dust, chaff, or dried leaves.
Next, a gravity separator may be used to separate good wheat kernels from damaged or shriveled ones based on weight. For more precise cleaning, a destoner removes stones that are similar in size to wheat but heavier. In some modern systems, a magnetic separator is also included to eliminate any metal fragments.
In advanced milling operations, color sorters or optical sorters are used to remove discolored, moldy, or diseased grains. These machines ensure that only high-quality wheat is processed for flour production.
Overall, wheat cleaning is a multi-stage process that relies on a combination of machines to ensure purity, safety, and market readiness.
