Care and Management of Equipment used

in Feed Processing and Manufacturing

By
Urooj Anwar
Ph.D. Animal Nutrition
Institute of Animal and Dairy Sciences, FAH, UAF.
Introduction
• Periodical inspection and mechanical maintenance of machines and equipment
used in feed production processes are crucial for preventing possible
breakdowns.
• A non-foreseeable failure may stop the production for an unpredictable period
of time. From raw material intake to packaging, all machines have parts and
units that need to be replaced due to abrasion and fatigue.
• The maintenance of all machinery and their parts directly affects the capacity
and the feed quality of the facility. The main machinery of feed facilities and
their parts that need to be taken care of are: PELLET MILL Pellet mill is one of
the most important machine of a plant that produces pellet feed. In the pellet
mill, which directly affects the feed production capacity and quality, the
maintenances to be done in particular are given below.
…..
• Die and rollers: Die and rollers are the parts that pelletize the mash
feed. During feed production, these parts wear out over time. The
abrasion of inlet tapers in the die, and abrasion of the channels and
counter bores on the roller reduces the capacity of the pellet mill.
• These parts which have to be checked regularly and grinding applied
if necessary, and new channels and counterbores have to be
reopened. If the wear is beyond a level that allows a reopening of the
die and rollers must be replaced with new ones.
Equipment
• Bearings: The main bearings must be lubricated every 100-200 hours.
The lubrication operation of the roller bearings should be between
10-220 grams per hour depending on the size of the pellet mill. The
roller bearings of the most commonly used ø660 and ø900 pellet mills
are lubricated as 100 gr / h and 220 gr / h.
• The transmission in the drive system has to be checked periodically.
• The performance of belts in a belt-pulley driven pellet mill directly
affects the performance therefore, the tension of the belts should be
kept under control. The cracks on the belts should be checked
consistently and the belts should be replaced if necessary.
Equipment
• HAMMER MILL A hammer mill is a machine that can break down grains and other
grained raw materials to desired sizes.
• Hammers: Hammers are one of the most important parts that wear out and affect
the performance of the machine. In order to prevent this abrasion, the hammer
mill is run in the clockwise direction one day and in the counter-clockwise direction
the following day. By this mode of operation, two corners are equally eroded. In the
same manner, the hammers are taken out and reversed in following days. As a
result of this reversal, every four corner of each hammer are used equally.
• Screen sheets: After a certain working time, the holes on the screen sheet will
widen and exceed the desired magnitude. And this affects the milling performance
negatively and reduces the quality of the feed. Therefore, the screens should be
replaced after a certain operating time.
Equipment
• Bearings: Bearings must be lubricated once for every 1300 hours operation period.
Besides, their temperature should be checked regularly. The temperatures above 50-60 ° C
are a precursor for the lubrication time or the time for replacement of bearings.
• Coupling: The barrel-shaped rubbers of the couplings with a pin must be checked for a
deformation and replaced if necessary.
• PADDLE MIXER A paddle mixer is a machine that is used for mixing mineral and premix
products with dosed and crushed grains homogeneously.
• Bearings: The bearings of the paddle mixer must be lubricated once in 500 hours periods.
• Drive unit: The oil of the gear box must be checked regularly and changed if necessary. In
the same way, the situation of the belts in the unit must be checked and replaced in case
of a deformation.
• The leak-tightness of the mixer's bottom lid is a very important subject. The seals around
the doors must be checked and if they are worn out they must be replaced with new ones.
Equipment
• MOLASSES MIXER The molasses is one of the essentials in cattle feed
production. The mixture getting out from the paddle mixer is coated
with molasses at the entrance of the molasses mixer. Then, molasses is
homogeneously mixed with the mash mixture thanks to the pallets on
the molasses mixer rotor.
• Cleaning: Molasses is sticky and hardens when gets dry. For this reason,
the inner surface of the molasses mixer should be cleaned at least once
a day. Otherwise, the pallets will be worn out in a short time.
• Bearings: Bearings of the molasses mixer must be lubricated once in
1000 hours.
Equipment
• Pallets: Pallets wear out due to operating conditions. For this reason, the
distance between the pallets and the body should be checked and in case
they are eroded they have to be replaced with new ones.
• Drive unit: The tension of the belts must be checked. The cracks on the
belts should be checked and the belts should be replaced if necessary.
• BUCKET ELEVATORS The control and mechanical maintenance of the
bucket elevators which are used for vertically lifting of the product are
carried out with the help of following parts.
• Bearing Units: Bearings must be lubricated once in 6000-7000 hours
periods.
• Gear Box: The gear box must be checked for oil and changed regularly.
Equipment
• Coupling: The coupling rubbers have to be checked and replaced in case of
abrasion.
• Bucket and Belt: Buckets and belts of the elevator wear out as they operate.
Depending on the abrasiveness of the conveyed product, the buckets, bucket bolts
and belt should be replaced at the end of a certain period of time.
• CHAIN CONVEYOR In the chain conveyors, which are used for conveying the
product horizontally, check and mechanical maintenance are carried out in the
following parts.
• Roller Bearings: Roller bearings must be lubricated once in 10000-12000 hours
periods.
• Gear Box: The gear box must be checked for oil and changed regularly.
• Coupling: The coupling rubbers must be checked and replaced if necessary.
Equipment
• Pallet and Chain: Commonly used plastic based pallets must be changed at the end of
a certain working hour depending on the abrasiveness of the product being conveyed.
• SEWING MACHINE A sewing machine is a machine used to sew the mouth of the bag.
The cleanliness and oil status directly affect the operation of the machine. Cleaning
should be done at the end of each shift. The gear oil must be checked and replaced
when decreases.
• STEAM BOILER A steam boiler is used to condition mash feed during feed production
and to get rid of harmful bacteria. Periodic examinations of steam boilers should be
carried out by accredited organizations. In these examinations, vital controls such as
pressure relief valves, low-water level alarms and leaks have to be performed.
Periodically, boiler water should be analyzed and, if necessary, some chemicals should
be added to prevent possible damages to the boiler. These chemicals serve to reduce
the hardness of water and reduce the oxidation.
Equipment
• Maximum values desired for the boiler feed water has to be as follows: Total
Hardness: less than 1-2 FSB (Frictional Stir Burnishing)
• Oil Content: less than 2 mg / lt
• Oxygen: less than 0.005 mg / lt
• Total Iron: less than 0.005 mg / lt
• Total Carbon Dioxide: less than 20 mg / lt
• Silicate (SiO2): as low as possible
• CONCLUSION Mechanical maintenance of the machinery in the feed mills should be carried
out periodically to ensure that they do not break down unexpectedly and cause a halt in
production. Wearable parts of the machine, as well as materials such as electric motor, gear
box, bearing, level sensor and temperature sensor must be kept as spare and it should be
aimed at repairing a possible breakage in short period time.
Feed Mill Management
• Feed generally is considered to be the major input for livestock, poultry
production and may account for 70-80 percent of total production cost.
• So, if we can produce high quality feed at most economical way, it will not only
cut the cost of production, but also yield high profits.
• One needs to produce consistency in quality and quantity 365 days a year. For
this consistent quality & quantity – feed mill management plays an important
role; that mainly involves 4 M’s:
• Material Management
• Machines Management
• Manpower Management
• Money Management
1. Material Management:
Management
• Material mainly includes; raw material & finish goods management
like moisture of raw material, protein, ash, silica, oil range in grains.
• Quality check in terms of toxicity in grains.
• All these parameters plays a vital role in feed nutrition and profit
statement, as small miscalculation may leads to huge financial loss as
mentioned.
Moisture loss
• Moisture loss is calculated on the basis of average moisture of raw material batch minus
average moisture of finish goods. Example - let us assume a standard broiler feed
formulation as mentioned:
• Maize – 60 % in formulation by weight having 14 % moisture
• Soya – 25 % in formulation by weight having 9.5 % moisture
• DORB – 10 % in formulation by weight having 9 % moisture
• Other material like MBM, gluten etc. – 5 % in formulation by weight having 9 % moisture
• Considering 1000 kg batch; total average moisture in raw material batch is:
• 600 x 14 % + 250 x 9.5 % + 100 x 9 % + 50 x 9 % = 121.25 kg (moisture/water) in 1000 kg of
grain. Equals to 12.125 % average moisture in complete batch…… (a)
• Ideal moisture of finish pellets in bag is considered between 11 to 12 %, depending upon
the atmospheric temperature & humidity. Cooling is an evaporative process, so moisture
reduction is essential. But there may be times when over cooling happens leading to over
drying. If average moisture of finish good is 10.5 %, considering the statement ….a,
average moisture loss or shrinkage will be 12.125 – 10.5 = 1.625 %.
• For a feed mill manufacturing 200 MT a day, calculation of 1.625 % @
average price of 24 rs/kg - whole batch; daily loss = 78,000 rs . Apart
from this monetary loss there is fluctuation in formulation too.
• With net profit margins in some feed companies being low as 1 to 2 %,
this factor alone could influence whether or not that company returns a
profit or loss, so it really is a vital part of feed mill management.
• Same calculation can be done in terms of protein, energy & oil
requirement as per breed. Extra nutrients may leads to financial loss
and low nutrition calculation provides less growth in birds and animals.
Following process can be followed to
reduce /monitor this loss as mentioned:
• Moisture check in raw material before or at the time of procurement.
• Sampling at different locations – after batching - grinding - conditioning – pelleting – cooling and
final product for moisture check – as and when required.
• Corrective action as per reports like – temperature at grinding, moisture addition in mixer, quality &
quantity of steam, retention time in conditioner, cooler setting in terms of bed level and sensor ,
blower valve setting as per temperature , cleaning of cyclone & ducts , moisture and weather
conditions etc.
• Various automation modules help in inventory management of raw material by getting feedback
from weigh scale ( raw material in ) , Material stock in ware house & daily weight of finish goods out
from feed mill . (Every 10th day - thrice a month)
• After all corrective measures; there is still some amount of shrinkage (due to limitations in raw
material availability as per season, price of grains, chances of mold /fungus in finish feed in rainy
season, machinery behavior & limitation w.r.t. different formulations etc.) ; it’s wise to consider 0.5
% - 0.6 % process loss in cost estimations . Also each plant should recognize where shrink or gain
may occur and make the best possible efforts to control and minimize these losses
2. Machines Management:
• Machines management mainly includes – Optimum production
process parameters, Preventive maintenance, general hygiene &
safety etc.
• A. Process Parameters:
• Process parameters are important part of any quality control
program. This is the process of measuring specific components of
feed or ingredients at different stages like batching, grinding, mixing,
conditioning, pelleting, cooling, crumbling, screening and packing.
• In batching we have to take care that the initial moisture of the
combine raw material batch should not exceed 12-12.5 %;
In grinding we have to maintain following
parameters: (for poultry broiler pellets)
• Particle Size: More than 80 % of average particle size should be below 1 mm.
• Gap between Hammer tip & Screen: As for fine grinding we need lesser gap between hammer
tip & screen and for coarse grinding we need more gap between hammer tip & screen. There
should be gap adjustment feature in hammer mill for different types of grinding texture
required.

For all types of grinding solution Lark provides QGA “Quick Gap Adjustment”, as its name
implies this technology is a boon for grinding different sizes of products as Fine /Medium /
Coarse by quick change of gap between hammer tip and screen.
• Tip speed of hammer mill: Ideal Tip speed for a hammer mill should be 19000 -22000 FT/Min
• Specific energy of hammer mill: Average ideal power consumption of grinding unit should not
be more than 9 units/ton.
• Temperature difference; Material in and out: Maximum difference in the grinding temperature
(material in versus material out) should not be more than 5 degrees.
• In mixing we have to maintain following parameters:
• CV should be less than 5.
• Oil should be added after dry mixing (Medicine) of minimum 90 to
120 seconds.
In Conditioning & Pelleting:
• Minimum 60 seconds of retention time with adjustments to decrease or increase the
retention time.
• Minimum 1.5 to 2.0 % moisture should be added through conditioners.
• Double shaft design for better mixing of steam.
• Multi –Point steam injections.
• Temperature range should be 75-85 degrees.
• Steam pressure at boiler should be 8.5-9.5 kg/cm2
• Steam pressure after PRV (pressure reducing valves) should be 2.0 to 2.5 kg/cm2.
• Steam should be Dry Saturated.
• PDI of Pellets should be more than 85 %.
• Specific energy consumption of pellet mill should not be more than 15 units/ton.
• Cooling
• Maximum variation in temperature after pellet cooler should not be
more than + - 5 degrees of ambient temperature.
• Moisture of pellets after cooler should be in between 11.0 to 11.5 %
Crumbling & Screening
• Fines % in crumbling process should not be more than 25 %.( depend
upon different formulation , particle size required and PDI)
• In any case recycling in Finisher Pellet, Finisher Crumbs, Starter & Pre-
Starter should not be more than 10 %, 15 %, 18 % and 25% respectively.
• Ideal moisture in finish feed should be in between 11.0 to 11.5. Too high
moisture lowers the feed quality and leads to toxicity or fungus and too
less moisture leads to process loss.
• Fines percentage ( below 1 mm ) in packing bags in Finisher pellet ,
Finisher crumbs , Starter and pre-starter should not be more than 4 % , 7
% , 10 % and 12% respectively
Preventive Maintenance
• Well, “A stich in time saves nine”. Maintenance is an important part of feed mill management. The
main purpose of regular maintenance is to ensure that all equipment required for production is
operating at 100 % efficiency at all times. It must be a part of the daily schedule.
• As we all know, animals/poultry needs feed on daily basis and there is no space for unwanted
breakdowns in feed mills. Every feed miller must be aware of the importance of preventive
maintenance. For this we have developed special checklists & formats on daily , weekly , monthly
and yearly basis.
• Few check points for machinery are:
• Intake Chain
• Checking of Motor, Gear Box and Chain condition
• Abnormal Sound
• Check Drag Chain Slackness (looseness)
• Greasing of Bearings
• Checking of PVC Scrapers
• Jute Remover
• Rotor Change
• Greasing
• Elevators
• Check Tension in Belts
• Belts Alignment
• Cleaning the Boot of Elevator
• Cleaning Top end of Elevator
• Tightening of Bucket Bolts, Joints
• Greasing of Bearings
• Magnet
• Cleaning after every 4 hours
• Hammer Mill
• Check Hammer Edges
• Screen Conditions
• Vibration
• Abnormal Noise
• Pellet Mill
• Check wearing condition of dies & rolls
• Greasing of bearings
• Check for any vibration & noise
• Check position of cutting knives & deflectors.
• Check gap between die & rolls.
• Crumbler
• Check wearing of crumbler rolls
• Greasing of Bearings
• Leakage of unbroken pellets.
Hygiene &safety:
• The ability to protect raw materials and finished feeds from harmful
contaminants is crucial to ensure animal performance. By improving
the microbiological quality of the feed, animals can utilize the full
nutritional benefit of each ingredient with lowered risk for sickness
and transmission of diseases.
• Raw materials and feeds constitutes as one of the most important
causes of microbial contamination, such as Salmonella and
Escherichia coli. Hence controlling the raw material quality and other
process parameters during the feed production is very important to
maintain the feed hygiene. Few other process parameters or
checkpoints which help to maintain feed hygiene are:
Intake & Storage
• Storage of raw material in round bins or bins without dead corners helps
to prevent sticking of materials. Bin cleanliness in the feed storage area
is essential & should be monitored on regular basis. Sticking of material
& dust not only induces fungus growth but also may leads to “GRAIN
DUST EXPLOSIONS”.

Moving and handling grain creates grain dust, when combine with other
components like oxygen, ignition source, dispersion can result in grain
dust explosions. Proper monitoring of cleanliness, leakages at ducts &
connecting chutes, fines/dust at elevator pits should be done on regular
basis to avoid such incidents and to maintain proper hygiene at feed mill.
Liquid, Steam & oil addition
• Proper cleaning on regular basis is required where application of
steam, oil or liquids comes along with grinded ingredients.

Sampling
• Sampling at different stages; after batching, mixing, grinding,
conditioning, pelleting, cooling & bagging helps to control moisture,
detect fungus growth and other quality parameters.
3. Manpower Management:
• Manpower management involves effective utilization of labor & staff, trainings as per
requirement, defining & delegating duties & responsibilities of feed mill staff as
mentioned:
Responsibilities of Plant Manager:
• Plan, organize, direct and run optimum day-to-day operations to exceed our
customers’ expectations
• Increase production, assets capacity and flexibility while minimizing unnecessary
costs and maintaining current quality standards
• Be responsible for production output, product quality and on-time shipping
• Allocate resources effectively and fully utilize assets to produce optimal results
• Implement strategies in alignment with strategic initiatives and provide a clear sense
of direction and focus
• Monitor operations and trigger corrective actions
• Share a trusting relationship with workgroup and recruit, manage and
develop plant staff
• Collect and analyze data to find places of waste or overtime
• Commit to plant safety procedures
• Develop systems and processes that track and optimize productivity and
standards, metrics and performance targets to ensure effective return on
assets
• Address employees’ issues and administer collective bargaining agreements
• Influence and learn from below
• Stay up to date with latest production management best practices and
concepts
Responsibilities of Pellet operator
• Follow all established plant safety rules.
• Keep work area clean & orderly.
• Follow a schedule of routine cleaning, greasing & maintenance for all pelleting and related
equipment and advise appropriate personnel when maintenance is required.
• Properly adjust pellet mill rolls, scrapper, crumbler rolls and other equipment to maximize
efficiency and equipment life.
• Operate the pellet mill with proper moisture, heat and production rates to efficiently
produce products while maintain pellet quality.
• Tends machine that presses ingredients into feed pellets for poultry stock feed
• Turns steam valves to regulate temperature of mash feed.
• Observes ammeter & feed material to pellet mill by increasing/decreasing the speed of
feeder as per motor amperage.
• Turn steam valves to regulate temperature of molasses
• Adjust flow of air to cool pellets in cooler.
• Follow procedure for fitting a new die, starting a new die, flushing dies, removing dies,
Responsibilities of Boiler operator
• Operates fired boilers to generate required steam.
• Observes pressure, temperature, and draft meters on panel to verify specified
operation.
• Turns valves and adjusts controls to set specified fuel feed, water level, and steam
pressure of boiler
• Testing and treat boiler feed water, using specified chemicals.
• Activate valves to maintain required amounts of water in boilers, to adjust supplies of
combustion air, and to control the flow of fuel into burners
• Adjust controls and/or valves on equipment to provide power, and to regulate and
set operations of system and/or industrial processes.
• Analyze problems and take appropriate action to ensure continuous and reliable
operation of equipment and systems
• Monitor and inspect equipment, switches, valves, gauges, alarms, safety
devices, and meters to detect leaks or malfunctions, and to ensure that
equipment is operating efficiently and safely.
• Perform or arrange for repairs, such as complete overhauls, replacement
of defective valves, gaskets, or bearings, and/or fabrication of new parts
• Observe and interpret readings on gauges, meters, and charts
registering various aspects of boiler operation, in order to ensure that
boilers are operating properly.
• Test electrical systems to determine voltages, using voltage meters
• Maintain daily logs of operation, maintenance, and safety activities,
including test results, instrument readings, and details of equipment
malfunctions and maintenance work.
Responsibilities of Electrician technician
• Troubleshoots, repairs and maintains electrical distribution systems including electric motors,
electric controls, fire alarms, and clock systems
• Assemble, install, test, and maintain electrical or electronic wiring, equipment, appliances, apparatus
• Diagnose malfunctioning systems, apparatus, and components, using test equipment and hand tools,
to locate the cause of a breakdown and correct the problem.
• Connect wires to circuit breakers, transformers, or other components
• Advise management on whether continued operation of equipment could be hazardous
• Test electrical systems and continuity of circuits in electrical wiring, equipment, and fixtures, using
testing devices such as ohmmeters, voltmeters to ensure compatibility and safety of system
• Install ground leads and connect power cables to equipment, such as motors
• Perform business management duties such as maintaining records and files, preparing reports and
ordering supplies and equipment.
• Repair or replace wiring, equipment
Responsibilities of Maintenance Personnel
• Responsible for the completion of all maintenance service requests as
assigned
• Maintain inventory controls for cost effective operations
• Schedule and complete the "Preventative Maintenance Program"
• Assure safety standards are used which comply with all machinery.
• Periodically grease machinery & all maintenance as per schedule.
Money Management:
• Money Management involves all calculations like financial statement
in terms of raw material cost, processing cost, consumables, bank
interests, bad debts, credit flow in market, investment on dealers,
advertisements &promotions, all hidden expenses etc.