Understanding Juicer Design
Juicers may not seem like complex devices, and in many ways, they’re not. However, there are many important details can easily be overlooked when selecting a juicer. In this guide, we will inform you about the different parts that make up a juicer, what each part is responsible for and why different designs can affect performance.
If you’re interested in finding out why you’d want to drink juice, before beginning to learn about juicers, we recommend checking out this article on the benefits of juicing. Or if you’ve already got to grips with the basics of juicer design we suggest reading our guide to choosing the right juicer for your needs.
Masticating Juicing Components
When it comes to juicers, the most popular are those in a masticating style. Models within this category function by slowly pressing the juice out of ingredients by putting them under pressure. Masticating juicers come in a range of different shapes and forms, but for the most part, they all utilise the same parts to achieve juice extraction. For a more detailed breakdown of the different juicer styles, check out our comparison of them.
The Augur & Gears
Arguably the augur is the most important juicing component to any masticating juicer. It is the screw-shaped object found at the heart of an assembled juicer, and it serves the purpose of pulling ingredients along the juicer, so they can be crushed against the screen. Without it, juicing wouldn’t be possible, and the correct function of the augur is crucial for efficient and high yielding juice production.
Augurs are found in vertical and horizontal masticating juicers, but these are only two of the three main styles of slow juicer. The third style is the twin gear juicer, which as you can guess uses two augurs/gears together to press ingredients. The gears work in alignment with each other and force ingredients between them, exerting huge amounts of pressure on them as they pass.
The Juicing Screen
Alongside the augur, the juicing screen is a crucial part of the juicing process, and it is present in all styles of masticating juicer. In all its forms, the screen sits closely around the augur, allowing for ingredients to be pressed against it tightly as they rub against the sieve elements. These sieve elements separate the juice from the pulp and must be maintained well for efficient juicing.
While a screen can be found in all juicers it does look rather different in each. Those found in horizontal juicers are small and thin featuring only a small sieve ring used to separate juice from pulp. Vertical screens, however, are much wider since they must fit around a larger augur and their surface area is dominated by sieve elements, allowing for faster overall juicing. Finally, screens in twin gear juicers are a combination of the two other styles, but most brands have their own unique style, so there is no set pattern.
In vertical juicers, the screen is also accompanied by another part known as the spinning brush. This brush sits around the outside of the screen and rotates, stirring the juice and preventing any blockages.
The Juicing Chamber & Drum Guide
The screen and augur may be the main juicing parts, but without a protective outer layer, juicing would be a much messier process. Therefore, all the styles of masticating juicer have an outer casing element that acts as a home for the augur and screen as they are put to use.
Horizontal juicers utilise a part known as the drum guide. This component connects to the main juicer body and then serves as an outer shell in which the augur and screen can be placed. Horizontal drum guides also have a built-in feed chute, which allows for ingredients to be fed directly to the augur. This design choice removes the need for additional components and allows for a fast set-up process.
Vertical juicers take a different approach to providing outer casing and use a component known as the juicing bowl. While it is still sometimes referred to as a drum guide, this part functions very differently, and it stores the juice as it is produced alongside the augur and screen. The juice can then be released at the end of the process through a juice flap into a suitable container.
Finally, Twin Gear juicers are varied in their approach to keeping juicing tidy as they have many different designs. The most simplistic use a basic panel placed over the screen to prevent juice spray, but the more complex have many components instead.
The Hopper
The hopper is a part unique to vertical juicers and is also known as the feed chute. It sits above all the other juicing components and connects to the top rim of the juicing chamber. Its function is simply to act as a chute for ingredients to be dropped down. Other juicer styles do not need a hopper as the feed chute is instead included within other parts such as the drum guide or screen.
Drum Cap & Nozzles
Where the hopper is unique to vertical juicers, the drum cap is unique to horizontal juicers. Its main role is to attach at the end of the drum guide and seal all the juicing components in place in preparation for juicing. However, on top of that, it also acts as the point of pulp ejection in the horizontal design.
Filling the role of pulp ejection has caused the drum cap to see various modifications over time, resulting in the addition of pressure adjusting nozzles in some juicers. These nozzles are able to put pulp under varying levels of pressure as it is forced from the juicer. The higher the pressure, the tougher it is for the pulp to exit the juicer, allowing for more juice to be pressed from it. Therefore, the nozzle proves to be very useful for juicing low yielding ingredients such as leafy greens.
Centrifugal Juicing
Masticating juicers are often the more popular of the two main juicer styles, but understanding centrifugal juicers is also important before deciding which to buy. Most centrifugal models are much simpler than their masticating counterparts and they have fewer components. They operate at very high speeds and instead of pressing ingredients they grate them with a cutting blade. The juice is then filtered through a thin gauze around the blade and the leftover pulp is flung into a container to the side of the juicer.
Outside of the blade, the only other key part is the hood/feed chute, which is typically clamped over the top of the body and blade. This helps the pulp to fall into the container and allows for ingredients to be dropped directly down for contact with the blade.
Additional Information
We hope this guide has helped unravel some of the mysteries of how a juicer works. However, should you have any additional queries and questions feel free to contact us at support@juicers.co.uk or call us on 0208 80995175.