Single-screw extruders are among the most widely used extrusion equipment in the feed processing industry, favored by users for their compact structure, low manufacturing cost, ease of operation and maintenance, and high processing efficiency. They are widely used in pet food and aquatic feed, producing various pelleted feeds such as cat food, dog food, fish feed, turtle food, and bird food.

Single-screw extruders offer low investment costs, moderate energy consumption, and easy replacement of wear parts, making them ideal for small-scale feed mills, small and medium-sized farms, and production scenarios where product switching is infrequent. For conventional low- to mid-range floating pet food and most aquatic feeds, single-screw extruders remain the most technologically mature and cost-effective choice.

Applicable animal types: floating fish feed, sinking fish feed.

In pet food production, a single-screw extruder first mixes various nutritional ingredients (such as grain powder, meat meal, vitamins, and minerals) according to a scientific formula, adjusting the moisture content to approximately 20%. This appropriate moisture level is beneficial for subsequent conditioning and gelatinization without causing excessively high viscosity.

Next, the mixed ingredients enter a conditioner for stirring and high-temperature steam conditioning, causing initial gelatinization of the starch and softening of the material. Subsequently, the material is fed into the single-screw extrusion chamber. Under the powerful rotation of the screw, the material undergoes intense compression, shearing, and friction, converting mechanical energy into heat energy and rapidly raising the material temperature. An adjustable heating ring is also installed externally to further assist in heating, ensuring the material reaches the required gelatinization temperature quickly, thus significantly improving expansion efficiency. The moment the high-temperature, high-pressure material is ejected from the die orifice, the pressure drops sharply, moisture vaporizes, and porous, loosely packed extruded pellets are formed. By adjusting the cutter speed, the length of the finished pellets can be precisely controlled to suit the feeding habits of different pets.

There are many raw materials for feed extruders, such as corn, soybean (bean cake), fish meal, bone meal, animal waste, and so on.

The extruded feed can have various flower patterns. The mold can be customized according to the requirements. The product outlet is equipped with a rotary cutting device with variable frequency speed regulation, which can adjust the rotation speed of the blade arbitrarily to control the speed and length of the cutting. The feed is novel in shape, unique in taste, rich in nutrition and delicate in organization, and is suitable for feeds with different pet tastes such as dogs, cats, fish, birds, rabbits, shrimps, minks, and foxes. Suitable for farmers, small and medium feed mills, and research institutions.

Product structure and advantages: The feed extruder is composed of a main motor, a feeding motor, a cutting motor, a feeding hopper, a heating device, a base, a screw, a screw sleeve, an electric control cabinet, etc.

The semi-finished product after extrusion molding contains a high moisture content and needs to be dehydrated by hot air in a dryer to reduce the final moisture content to below 12%. The dried pellets can also be flavored with oil spraying, coating with flour, and other seasoning processes to enhance palatability. This special pet food produced in this way has the advantages of comprehensive and balanced nutrition, high digestibility and absorption rate, and can be fed directly without additional steaming or cooking. It also has low moisture content, a long shelf life (usually over 12 months), and the dry, loose pellets are easy to carry and store, greatly facilitating daily feeding for pet owners.

Feed extruder can be combined with a crusher, mixer, conveyor, dryer, air conveyor, seasoning machine, etc., to form a production line. It can work continuously, save labor, and improve efficiency.