What causes the inconsistent discharge speed of a small fish feed extruder?

Nov 21, 2025

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Cause of the fault

- Raw Material Issues: Firstly, raw material moisture content fluctuates greatly. Main ingredients like corn and soybean meal are prone to absorbing moisture and clumping when the moisture content is below 12%, and sticking to the feeding screw when it's above 18%, leading to uneven feeding. Secondly, uneven mixing of raw materials occurs. Insufficient mixing of coarse fiber raw materials (such as bran) and refined materials causes "bridging" during feeding, resulting in alternating periods of material interruption and accumulation.

- Parameter Imbalance: Inappropriate temperature settings in the small fish feed making machine. When the temperature at the front of the barrel is below 80℃, the raw material is not sufficiently softened, resulting in poor flowability; when the temperature is above 110℃, the raw material melts excessively, adhering to the inner wall of the barrel and hindering feeding. Additionally, a mismatch between the feeding motor speed and the extrusion speed also leads to an imbalance between raw material supply and extrusion speed.

- Mechanical Failures: Severe wear of the feeding screw increases the screw clearance, hindering effective material delivery; the electromagnetic vibrator at the bottom of the hopper malfunctions, preventing continuous material descent; the main shaft bearing of the small fish feed pellet machine is loose, causing jamming during operation and affecting extrusion stability.

Solutions

1. Raw Material Adjustment: First, test the moisture content of the raw materials. Use a moisture meter to ensure the main material's moisture content is stable between 14% and 16%. If the moisture content is too low, spray humidification; if it is too high, ventilate and air dry. Crush the coarse fiber raw materials to at least 80 mesh and add them to the mixer in the order of "smaller materials first, then larger materials," mixing for at least 5 minutes to ensure a mixing uniformity of over 90%.

2. Fish Feed Mill Machine Parameter Calibration: Adjust the barrel temperature according to the raw material moisture content. Set the front section temperature of the barrel to 85-90℃ when the moisture content is high, and increase it to 95-100℃ when the moisture content is low. Adjust the ratio of the feeding motor speed to the extrusion speed to 1:3 using a frequency converter (refer to the equipment manual for the specific ratio). Before starting the machine, run it idle for 2 minutes to observe whether the feeding is continuous, and then gradually add material.

3. Mechanical Inspection: Inspect the feed screw. If the screw thread wear exceeds 0.5mm, replace the screw. Minor wear can be repaired by welding. Disassemble the electromagnetic vibrator junction box, retighten any loose wiring, and test the vibration frequency (usually 50Hz). Use a feeler gauge to check the spindle bearing clearance; if it exceeds 0.2mm, replace the bearing and retighten it.

4. On-site Commissioning of the Floating Pellet Machine: After starting the machine, feed a small amount of material and observe the output speed. If fluctuations persist, fine-tune the feed motor speed, adjusting by no more than 5Hz each time, until the output is uniform and the particle diameter error is controlled within ±0.2mm.

What impact does the moisture content of ingredients used in pet food extrusion machines have on pets? What safety measures need to be followed while using an extruder for floating fish feed?