<![CDATA[Potato cutting machines used by household industries and small- and medium-sized enterprises require stable pushing mechanisms to improve productivity and reduce vibration. This study experimentally evaluated the performance of a potato cutting machine after modifying the pushing-arm geometry. The original 570 mm arm was compared with 300 mm and 190 mm configurations. Finite element analysis provided a preliminary structural check, while the main evaluation was conducted experimentally. The prototype was tested using 1 kg potato samples and a cutting blade with a 14 mm slot width. Cutting time, vibration, electrical power, operating energy, and productivity were measured. The optimized 190 mm arm reduced cutting time from 160 to 35 s/kg, representing a 78.1% reduction compared with the original design. Vibration decreased from 4.2 to 2.1 mm/s, while average electrical power remained constant at 390 W. Operating energy consequently decreased from 62.40 to 13.65 kJ/kg, and productivity increased from 22.5 to 102.9 kg/h. Preliminary structural analysis indicated that the optimized arm remained below the yield strength of AISI 1020 steel under the modeled static load. These results demonstrate that modifying the pushing-arm geometry can improve cutting productivity, reduce vibration, and decrease energy consumption per unit mass.]]>
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