Pet Feed Extruder

Raw material receiving

Receiving is the beginning of feed production. In the production of animal feed or similar products, the receiving area covers the activities of various purchased materials used directly or indirectly. Receiving equipment is used before the materials are stored in bulk in silos or warehouses, including weighing systems, inspection instruments, unloading systems, etc.

Silo storage

To ensure continuous production, a large amount of raw materials such as corn, wheat and soybean meal need to be stored during feed processing. For small-scale fish feed production, generally only small silos are needed or no silos are purchased; for large-scale fish feed production line construction, a silo system is generally required.

Cleaning

Bulk grain received from farms usually includes grain by-products and impurities such as straw, stones, metal, wood chips and powder. Cleaning operations are to remove these impurities with equipment and systems such as magnets, screens, dust collectors, etc. to ensure good quality of stored grain and protect the machinery in subsequent processing steps.

Crushing

Crushing is the operation of reducing feed particle size and increasing its specific surface area, which can enhance animal digestibility, improve feed utilization, and improve processing quality and work efficiency in subsequent process steps. In standard fish feed production line, fine or ultra-fine grinding of raw materials is sometimes required according to customer needs.

Batching

The first batching process in aquafeed production is the combination of bulk dry and liquid raw materials into a value-added, uniformly proportioned mixture. Sometimes a second batching process is required, where the second batching is the scaling, addition and mixing of dry and/or liquid trace elements and premixes to form a complete feed mixture.

Mixing

Mixing is a key process in compound feed production. It combines ingredients with unique properties into a formulated diet under the action of processing equipment to meet all the nutritional requirements of the animal and add value to the blended commodity. Sometimes a second batching process is required.

Extrusion

Wet type fish feed extruder machines are used in this section. Extrusion refers to the process in which moist, swellable starch or protein materials are plasticized in a tube by the combined effects of moisture, pressure, heat and mechanics. This results in an increase in the temperature of the product in the tube, gelatinization of starch components, denaturation of proteins, stretching or reorganization of tactile components, and exothermic expansion of the extrudate.

Drying/cooling

The main purpose of drying is to reduce the moisture content in the product, thereby improving the stability and shelf life of aquatic products, reducing product weight and improving transportation conditions. In the feed pelleting process, cooling of feed pellets is essential. When leaving the pelletizer, the feed pellets are very hot, soft and rich in moisture. The cooling process cools them to 3℃-5℃ slightly above room temperature and reduces their moisture content to a safe standard (≤12.5%) for easy transportation and storage.

Liquid Addition and Spraying

Spraying or coating is an industrial process. After the fish feed pellets are dried and screened, and before the feed pellets are cooled, liquids or powders such as oil/fat, pigments, spices, functional improvers or vitamins are applied to the surface of the fish feed pellets to improve the taste and acceptability of the fish feed pellets.

Cooling

Cooling of feed pellets is essential during the feed pelleting process. When leaving the pelletizer, the feed pellets are very hot, soft and rich in moisture. The cooling process cools them to 3℃-5℃ slightly above room temperature and reduces their moisture content to safe standards (≤12.5%) for easy transportation and storage.

Screening

After cooling and drying, the extruded fish feed is screened to remove fine particles and overflows to make the pellets reach the qualified size. Qualified fish feed pellets enter the packaging section, and unqualified products will be re-crushed, mixed, and extruded.

Packaging

The packaging operation starts when the finished feed enters the supply box above the packager and ends when the bagged feed is placed in the warehouse. For fish farms that use fish feed for their own use, there is no need to configure a packaging system.