What are the disadvantages of twin screw sinking fish feed extruders?

Dec 09, 2025

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The high cost of formula switching is the core issue. When producing different formulas, twin-screw fish feed making machines require thorough cleaning of the barrel, screw, mold, and other parts in contact with the raw materials to prevent cross-contamination. The cleaning process is complex, requiring disassembly of the modular barrel and screw, rinsing with a high-pressure water gun, cleaning the crevices with a special brush, and finally drying with compressed air-a process that takes 1-2 hours. In contrast, single-screw machines are simpler to clean, completing the process in 30 minutes. Furthermore, formula switching generates a large amount of unformed transition material. Twin-screw machines, due to their larger volume, produce 200-300 kg of this transition material, which cannot be sold as a qualified product and must be disposed of at a low price or discarded, resulting in significant raw material waste. Single-screw machines produce only 50-100 kg of transition material, making the waste cost far lower than twin-screw machines.

Small-batch production is inefficient and increases unit costs. The advantage of twin-screw fish feed machines lies in large-scale production; their efficiency advantage is only realized with a capacity of 3 tons per hour or more. For small-batch feed production of 1-2 tons, equipment preheating and debugging time accounts for more than 50% of the total production time, resulting in short actual effective production time and significantly increased energy consumption and labor costs per unit output. For example, producing 2 tons of grouper feed requires 6 hours with a twin-screw extruder, while a single-screw extruder, although with lower capacity, can complete the process in 4 hours, and its unit cost is 20% lower than that of a twin-screw extruder. Furthermore, the fixed costs (depreciation, maintenance) of twin-screw extruders are spread across small-batch production, leading to a significant increase in unit cost and a loss of market price competitiveness.

The equipment suffers from significant start-up and shutdown losses. Twin-screw fish feed processing machines require barrel preheating for 30-60 minutes during startup, consuming a large amount of electricity. Shutdowns require emptying the raw materials to prevent carbonization, generating waste. Frequent start-ups and shutdowns during small-batch production amplify these losses, exacerbating the production burden. For small feed mills primarily producing small batches and multiple varieties, these problems with twin-screw extruders make them ineffective.

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MIKIM's fish feed pellet production lines and supporting machinery offer excellent value for money. Not only are they affordable, eliminating middlemen markups and allowing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and fish farmers to purchase complete sets of equipment at reasonable costs, but they also boast exceptional efficiency. The fully automated process, from raw material crushing and precise ingredient mixing to extrusion pelleting and maturation, is completed in one continuous flow. This results in high starch gelatinization rates and uniform pellet formation, significantly improving production efficiency and feed quality, truly achieving "low cost, high output." Choosing a MIKIM fish feed pellet production line means enjoying comprehensive pre-sales and after-sales service, including 24-hour online customer support, a one-year warranty on the entire machine, professional on-site installation, commissioning, and maintenance, and a stable supply of spare parts. Customers can buy with confidence and use with peace of mind, with both excellent value and service quality!

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