The cannabis industry has grown significantly in recent years and continues to expand. The global legal cannabis market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.4% from 2023 to 2030. This expected growth leaves an increasing demand for efficient and cost-effective ways to process cannabis for retail and consumption.
Processing cannabis by hand requires trained and experienced workers to remove the flower from its stems, hand trim the product with shears, and sort the flower by size and appearance for retail shelves. While this is the traditional method of processing cannabis, it is not possible on a commercial scale. With the advances in current technologies and machine capabilities, processes like hand bucking and hand trimming have been phased out.
When it comes to taking a harvest from seed to sale on a commercial scale, there are numerous ways to automate the process. Machine trimming, for example, has become the preferred method over hand trimming among cultivators and processors. Depending on the grower and the intention of the final product, machine trimming can be done with wet or dry cannabis flower. Wet trimming involves trimming the flower immediately after it is harvested, while dry trimming involves waiting for the flower to dry and cure before trimming.
Some cannabis trimmers may only accommodate wet or dry product, while other machine trimmers can process both. The Triminator Hybrid™ Trimmer can trim wet, dry, and semi-dry flower with ease. The Hybrid™ cannabis trimming machine delivers a tight trim on all moisture levels with revolutionary trimming technology.
There are a lot of benefits to machine trimming that make it the more desirable approach for processors. Machine trimming is significantly faster than hand trimming, allowing growers to process more flower in a shorter amount of time. This allows cultivators to process large multi-acre harvests in a fraction of the time it would take a team of even expert hand-trimmers.
With increased efficiency and speed, there are fewer labor costs associated with processing cannabis. While hand trimming requires a large staff and high labor costs, machine trimming only needs a small team to operate and perform quality control. Growers save capital on labor while increasing profit potential, allowing for more harvests per year and more flower readily available for sale.
There is also an improvement in quality and consistency with machine trimming. A trimmer like the Hybrid™ is able to trim cannabis more precisely and consistently than human hands, leading to a better final product with uniform appearance and quality. Workers can focus their attention on the trimmer output and quality control rather than the trimming itself. In addition to reduced labor costs and more productive staff, machine trimming also lends itself to improved working conditions.
The Hybrid™ Trimmer has strain-specific controls that allow the user to optimize the output of the trim. Adjust the settings of the machine to accommodate the moisture content of each run. Fresh, wet flower is typically denser and more resilient, which allows you to increase the tumbler speed and vacuum suction for a faster, tighter trim. Dry flower is more delicate and less dense, so reducing the suction and speed will deliver the best results while maintaining potency.
The Hybrid™ cannabis trimming machine is revolutionizing the industry. Growers can choose between wet or dry trimming based on their individual needs and preferences. Regardless of the intent of the final product, machine trimming is a game- changer for the cannabis industry, leading to increased efficiency, consistent quality, improved health and safety, and reduced costs.