Methods to produce a spray-dried active tetrahydrocannabinol powder and/or cannabidiol powder are described. The methods include introducing a heated gas and a liquid mixture of water and active tetrahydrocannabinol and/or cannabidiol into a spray dryer and then separating powder from the spray-dryer in a two-step separation process. Counter-current spray dryers and co-current spray dryers are described followed by separation of the powders with a cyclone, filter, electrostatic precipitator, or sifter.

An organic material and plant vine chopper assembly has two plant vine chopper rotor drum assemblies that chop plant vines and other organic material. Each rotor drum assembly has a plurality of rotor rings each ring having a plurality of angled blades that effectively cooperate with each other to guard each blade and the drum against the wrapping of clogging fibrous strands and other clogging material around the drum. Each chopper rotor drum assembly incorporates a plurality of rotor rings spaced along and encircling and attached to a main drum tube and distributed in a cutting zone along and surrounding the longitudinal rotational axis of the drum tube with each rotor ring having a pair or a plurality of pairs of cutting blades attached to respective alternately angled mounting tabs that alternate to the left and to the right to the general plane of the rotor ring.

A rotary plant cutter, in one example comprising: a base frame; a drum supported by the base frame; a first disk mounted within the drum and fixed to the drum; the first disk having surfaces defining a plurality of radial slots through the first disk; a second disk mounted within the drum adjacent to and above the first disk; the second disk configured to rotate relative to the first disk about a rotational axis; a drive unit having a housing fixed to the drum; and the drive unit having a shaft coupled to rotate the second disk relative to the first disk.

A device and method for cleaning flowers and buds of plants of leaves and plant matter and particulate is provided. The buds are cleaned within a rotating drum having openings in a circular sidewall which rotates adjacent jets emitting gas. Freezing of the plant material and concurrent impacts from ice crystals formed by emitting gas, cleans the buds and flowers of unwanted plant material and particulate.

A harvesting tumbler apparatus includes first and second spaced apart grating segment retainers, and a tumbler grating including a plurality of resiliently tensionable grating segments connected to the first and second grating segment retainers. The resiliently tensionable grating segments extend from each of the first and second grating segment retainers in a spaced apart circular arrangement. The tumbler apparatus further includes a tension mechanism configured to apply a sufficient tension force to the resiliently tensionable grating segments to cause the grating to form a cylindrical shape. In illustrative embodiments, the resiliently tensionable grating segments may include flexible cord segments.

What is disclosed is an improved cutting tool to provide improved cutting of small diameter materials, such as stems of flowers and other plants. The device provides a cutting mechanism that is parallel to or in the same plane of a circumference of a ring that is worn on the user's finger. This provides for an increased ergonomic cutting tool. The cutting tool has a blade and an opposing portion that is configured to retain the material to be cut while the blade is pressed into the material or the material can be pushed onto the blade. The device is preferably constructed of a unitary molded plastic with an integrated blade formed in the material.

The invention relates to an end-effector device and automated selective thinning system. The system includes vision acquisition hardware, kinematic targeting and heuristic programming, a robotic arm, and a pomologically designed end-effector. The system is utilized to improve efficiency for the fruit-thinning process in a tree orchard, such as peach thinning. By automating the mechanical process of fruit thinning, selective fruit-thinners can eliminate manual labor inputs and further enhance favorable blossom removal. Automation used in conjunction with a heuristic approach provides improvements to the system. The system may also be configured as a robotic arm or as a handheld system by including a battery and switching microcontroller with handle or wrist straps. Handheld thinning devices that are mechanical in nature may also be part of the system.

The cannabis de-budding machine comprises a vertical plate, a roller, and a motor. The cannabis de-budding machine may be operable to separate a stem of a cannabis plant from flowers, buds, and leaves by pulling the stem through a stem slot located on the vertical plate. The roller may be adapted to assist in pulling the stem through the vertical plate when the roller is rotated by the motor. The stem may be pulled through the stem slot to a near side of the vertical plate leaving the flowers, buds, and leaves on a far side of the vertical plate.

A debucking machine, for use with processing industrial hemp or cannabis, is provided. Embodiments of the debucking machine include counter-rotating rollers equipped with rubberized combs for gently removing flowers, or buds, from harvested industrial hemp or cannabis. Embodiments of the debucking machine are portable and may be moved from location to location within a drying shed.

A Concentric Blade Trimming System with Adjustable Blades. The System includes at least one pair of rotating drums within which are rotating cutting blade assemblies. The system allows the user to load untrimmed buds continuously, and to generate an efficient, continuous flow of trimmed buds as output. The cutting blade assemblies rotate within the rotating drums independently. The cutting blade assemblies also include apparatus that will automatically adjust the blade position relative to the interior walls of the drums so that the trimming process can continue without the need to shut down for blade adjustment. In an alternate version, the blades are flexible and their adjustment is conducted manually with only a short intermission in operation of the system.