Pet Food Extrusion Machine

With the improvement of people's living standards, the requirements for pet health are getting higher, and the traditional way of feeding pets with leftovers is gradually eliminated. Pet breeders believe that pet food with scientific and balanced formula can make pets healthier. The demand for pet food continues to increase. At present, the production of pet food worldwide is showing a growing trend.

Richi Machinery can customize pet food extrusion machines according to different customer needs. Based on the strong practicability of our equipments, the scope of RICHI pet feed pellet machine now covers ornamental fish, pets, and aquatic extruded feed. It can also be widely used in the production of extruded feed for various fish, shrimp, mink, bullfrog, suckling pig, etc. 

RICHI pet food extruder machine adopts twin-screw structure. It is characterized by good shearing and kneading effect, wide range of processing particles (1.0mm-16mm round and special-shaped floating and sinking feed), high extrusion force, fast tempering and aging process, and good forming effect.

In terms of technology, it adopts screw sleeve direct cooling (no steam high-temperature puffing chamber), strip-type kneading (kneading and cutting) ring slices, internal evaporation conditioning and spindle frequency conversion stepless speed regulation. Combined with the formula, it can conveniently process aquatic floating feed.

Due to the special structure, under the same conditions, the added fat content of processed feed is higher than that of other single-screw machines. This type of pet food extruder can also be used for dry extruding of some materials (such as corn flour, soybean flour, etc.).

• High-life gearbox; wear-resistant alloy screw bushing: the service life of the screw is >22,000 tons, the service life of the bush is >50,000 tons, and the gearbox is free of charge for 30,000 hours;
• High-precision forged double-layer jacket of the expansion chamber, which is strong enough to prevent the deformation of the jacket or the loosening of the wear-resistant sleeve, and can be heated or cooled;
• The pet food extrusion machine is equipped with an overload protection clutch to ensure smooth, safe and reliable transmission. High-precision gears, imported high-quality bearings, oil seals, advanced gearbox design and processing technology control technology;
• Equal clearance, self-cleaning twin-screw mechanism, effectively reducing material residue in the barrel and screw, and facilitating barrel cleaning;
• Removable and replaceable wear-resistant bushing of special materials, which greatly reduces the cost of use;
• Effectively control the shear force to ensure that the aging time of all materials in the puffing chamber is consistent with the particle expansion coefficient;
• Effectively distribute the reasonable shear force in different areas of the extrusion cavity, and effectively increase the output under the premise of ensuring high quality;
• The discharge of the turbulent discharge device makes the extruded material more beautiful, and the output of the small hole diameter die increases by 30%-40%. Uniform and stable material shape;
• The automatic control system simplifies the operation and reduces the labor intensity. Let all data be recorded, and the influence of operators on the quality of puffed products is minimized.

The raw materials of pet feed are mainly meat products, and the product is highly viscous, so it cannot be economically produced with a single-screw pet feed extruder.

The twin-screw extruder reduces the shear range, has a more effective pumping action and self-cleaning action, and is suitable for the production of fresh meat and high-fat feed. Therefore, in the actual production of pet feed, twin-screw extruders are mostly used.

The factors that affect the extrusion effect of pet feed during processing are as follows：

• Influence of pet food extrusion machine type: wet method or dry method, size, ratio of screw length to diameter, screw structure, screw wear rate, sleeve groove shape, die diameter, material, number of die holes.
• Influence of material properties: density, starch content, oil content, moisture, crude fiber content.
• Influence of tempering: feed amount, steam and water addition amount (where to add water), steam quality, water temperature. Steam addition (5%~8%), water addition (6%~12%).
• Influence of operation and use: the combination of screw and sleeve, the stability of water supply, the replacement of formula, the heat preservation of sleeve, the cooling of screw, the control method of subsequent processing (crushing, cooling, crushing, spraying, drying).

Pet food processing technology is a combination of feed production technology and food production technology. The types of pet food include dry puffed products, semi-moist products, soft puffed products, wet canned products and snacks (or snacks).

Among them, all kinds of pet food except canned products are closely related to the pet feed extrusion process. It can be seen that puffing with pet food extrusion machine is the core part of the pet food processing industry. In the pet food production process, extrusion technology is basically used.

Pet food can be extruded by single-screw extruder or twin-screw extruder. Single-screw extruder is suitable for some low-end pet food with low oil content in the formula. The moisture during extrusion is generally at 22% to 28%.

When the content of fresh meat in the formula reaches 20% to 30%, the strong mixing and shearing required in the extrusion process is difficult to provide by single-screw pet food extruders, and the advantages of twin-screw extruders will be highlighted at this time.

• First of all, the twin-screw extruder has a wide range of processing, and can mix various raw materials without considering its composition during the processing. This is very suitable for the high-fat characteristics of pet food formulas.
  
  Almost twice the amount of fat can be added to the pet food in the machine, and the fat content of the feed formula can reach 12%, which not only improves the quality of the formula, but also slows down the wear and resistance of the parts, and reduces the production cost, while the single-screw extruder cannot do this.
• In the single-screw pet food extruder, if the fat content in the formula is high, the extruder will fluctuate violently, resulting in unstable product quality, and it is easy to cause the machine to fail due to material adhesion.
  
  The change of raw materials can be completed, which allows the product of multi-color mixture to be processed directly in the pet food extrusion machine; in addition, the twin-screw extruder has the advantages of high maturity, strong self-cleaning ability, and stable operation control.

Granulation and various traditional methods can be used for pet food processing, but the more common processing method is extrusion processing. This processing method has been used in pet food production since the 1950s and it has the advantages of low production cost, continuous production, convenient production operation and no environmental pollution.

• The technological process adopts two-stage crushing, two times of mixing, and then enters the bin to be expanded. The material needs to be fully tempered and then enters the pet food extrusion machine for extrusion. At the same time, oil, pigment, meat pulp, etc. can be added to the conditioner to avoid high oil content after adding to the mixer
• The problem of arching in the conveying of fat or high-moisture materials. After extrusion, the moisture content of the material is 20% to 30%, and it is conveyed to the pet feed dryer by air force for drying.
• The dried material enters the intermittent spraying machine, which can be sprayed with grease, food attractant and flavor powder. The temperature of the extruded pet food just after drying is high, which is conducive to the uniform distribution of oil.
• After the feed is added with oil, the internal moisture is not easy to volatilize; the moisture content of the food attractant is also high, and the drying intensity of the dryer should be increased accordingly before spraying.
• After spraying, the material enters the counter flow cooler for cooling, the moisture drops below 9%, and the temperature drops to close to room temperature. After the extruded pet food leaves the finished product warehouse, a sieve is carried out to control the broken grains and powder in the product within an ideal range, and finally it is packed by a packing scale.
• Pet food pellets are generally conveyed by pneumatic conveying or inclined belts to reduce residues during processing.

The general processing technology of extruded puffed pet food is: raw material preparation→powder mixing→pretreatment→extrusion puffing→cooling and drying→polishing→grease and flavoring spraying→packaging. The main equipment consists of: multifunctional mixer, screw feeder, conditioner, pet food extrusion machine (extruder type), oven, polishing machine, oil injection machine, grease injection machine, etc.

01

Raw material receiving

Receiving is the beginning of feed production. In the production of animal feed or similar products, the receiving area covers the active process of various purchased materials used directly or indirectly. The receiving equipment includes weighing system, inspection instrument, unloading system, cleaning system, dust-proof equipment, receiving conveyor, distributor, chute, etc., and then the materials are stored in bulk in storage silos or warehouses.

02

Batching

Ingredients are the most important step in the pet food manufacturing process and often determine the capacity of the plant. Batch batching is a discontinuous batching operation. Batch jobs start with dispensing instructions to complete ingredients in unique recipe quantities.

02

First mixing

Blending is a critical process in pet food manufacturing. It combines ingredients with unique properties, dosed under external forces, provides all the nutritional needs of pets and adds value to the mixed commodity.

02

Grinding

Grinding is the operation of reducing the size of feed particles to increase their specific surface, which can enhance the digestion of pets and improve the utilization rate of pet food. It also improves processing quality and work efficiency in subsequent process steps, such as proportioning, mixing, granulation, etc.

02

Secondary mixing

Secondary ingredient and blending processes in pet food production refer to the scaling, addition and blending of dry and/or liquid micro-ingredients and premixes to create complete pet food blends.

02

Extrusion sectioon

Puffing by pet food extrusion machine is the process by which moistening, swelling, starch or protein material is plasticized in a tube through a combination of moisture synthesis, pressure, heat and mechanical sharing. This results in increased product temperature in the tube, gelatinization of starch components, denaturation of proteins, stretching or reorganization of haptic elements, and thermal expansion of puffs.

02

Drying

The main purpose of drying is to reduce the moisture content of pet food, thereby increasing the stability and shelf life of the product. Reduce product weight and improve handling and transportation conditions.

02

Spraying

Spraying is an industrial process that involves spraying liquids or powders (such as oils/fats, colorants, flavors, performance improvers or vitamins) on the surface of pet food particles to achieve new product characteristics. This process is carried out after the drying process and before the cooling process, in order to enhance the acceptability and palatability of pet food.

02

Cooing

The cooling of extruded pet food is an integral part of pet food processing. The cooling process can cool the sprayed product to 3℃-5℃ slightly higher than room temperature, and reduce the moisture content to the safety standard (≤12.5%), which is convenient for transportation and storage.

02

Packaging and palletizing

The packing operation begins when the finished feed enters the supply box above the packer and ends when the bagged feed is put into storage. The procedure includes weighing each bag of feed, placing the weighed item in the bag, closing the bag, placing a label on the bag, coding the bag, palletizing the bag, and moving the bag to a warehouse for storage.

As the pet food industry becomes more prosperous, its trend of intelligence becomes more and more obvious, which requires pet food extrusion machine and pet feed line manufacturers to provide more comprehensive and systematic solutions. RICHI provides comprehensive pet feed plant solutions in factory layout design, engineering design, pet food extrusion machine and pet feed machine manufacturing, pet feed factory construction and automation control system.

Customized Design And Business Plan

In RICHI, every equipment and every pellet production line business plant can be customized. We will formulate multiple sets of pellet production process plans for comparative analysis according to the actual needs of customers, select a reasonable plan, and realize private customization. Our services run through all aspects of on-site terrain and environment survey, production line process design, raw material testing, cost requirement analysis, project investment budget, equipment installation and commissioning.

Quality Control
Richi Machinery

We adhere to the ISO9001 quality management system, and strictly implement international standards for product design and manufacturing processes. In terms of management systems, there are product quality accountability systems, product quality accountability systems, and safety production management systems; in terms of management tools, QC quality control management, SPC statistical process control, sampling inspection and measurement system analysis are used for quality control, to achieve effective control of the entire process of equipment production, and never let go of any quality hidden dangers that may affect customer operations.

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Delivery And Installation

RICHI has always been adhering to the spirit of craftsmanship to make every detail good, especially in the link of equipment preparation and delivery, we follow the standardized process: preparation order check-equipment factory quality inspection-packing list re-inspection-scientific packaging and transportation, ensure the safe and non-destructive delivery of equipment. According to customer needs, RICHI installation engineers will guide the construction of site infrastructure, equipment installation and commissioning and trial operation of the entire production line throughout the process. When the relevant project indicators reach the design standards, the client will carry out the project acceptance.

After-sales And Training
Richi Machinery

We have built a team of nearly 100 technical engineers to solve a series of problems in the project from consultation, site survey, sample analysis to plan design, installation and commissioning, and maintenance. We provide comprehensive and systematic training for the technical staff of each customer to better serve the customer's project needs. After the technicians have finished their studies, RICHI will provide follow-up technical support services, and the training engineers will follow up the project use effects in the later stage to ensure the stable operation of the customer's project.

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