High-quality ingredients and an optimal formula are the most important factors in animal feeding. The importance of the feed structure, however, often goes unmentioned, although research and tests carried out by various institutes of the feed industry in recent years have shown that it is an at least equally important factor for successful feeding and animal health. For this reason, the machine and plant manufacturer AMANDUS KAHL has focused its research efforts on this field: For decades, the German company has manufactured the so-called crushing roller mill which ensures the ideal adaptation of the feed structure to the needs of the respective animal species.
As the name suggests, a crushing roller mill consists of two rollers that crush the product. In addition to different types of grain, also legumes, oilseeds and feed mixtures can be processed. Unlike in the hammer mill which crushes the grain with maximum force, specific crushing takes place in this machine. Thus the obtained final product is not mealy or powdery, but a crushed and coarse-grained feed. Furthermore, the crushing roller mill produces a uniform grain size due to the individually adjustable gap. Owing to its structure, the crushed feed is particularly suited for use in pig and poultry farming.
The concept of crushing using the crushing roller mill includes even more technical features: Apart from the counterrotation of the two rollers, there is a differential speed of the roller pair. The crushing is achieved by a combination of shear stress, cutting and pressure. A special corrugation of the rollers contributes to the crushing of the product. The large roller diameter of 400 mm influences the product feeding and the size of the grinding zone. Multi-stage grinding with upstream screening ensures an optimized particle size distribution. This increases the energy efficiency (kWh/t).
Which are the specific advantages of crushing for the feed industry? With regard to nutritional physiology and cattle feeding, the advantage of this crushing method lies in the fact that less starch degradation takes place in the rumen. As ruminants, cattle generally require a coarser and more fibrous feed structure. The grains must only be halved or quartered using the crushing roller mill - further crushing of the husks is not required.
In pigs, mealy feed can cause ulcers in the oesophagus and stomach. Feeding with pellets is often not the best option - particularly for piglets - because the pellets are too hard for them. For this reason, expanded feed produced with the KAHL annular gap expander ensures the best results in feeding. Coarsely crushed wheat in the mixture produces less pathological changes in the gastric system, less diarrhoea, a lower mortality rate, and healthier pigs in general. A reduction of stomach ulcers is obtained in fattening, as the more solid consistency and coarser structure ensure a reduction of the pH value in the stomach.
Also poultry requires a coarse feed structure since the animals have a muscular stomach. This species is also known for its selective feed intake. Such feed selection is avoided by a uniform feed structure as produced with the crushing roller mill due to the individually adjustable gap. The lower meal content ensures low feed loss and thus uniform growth.
The following raw materials and mixtures are excellently suited for processing on the crushing roller mill: wheat, oats, peas, maize, rape, structurized feed for layers, barley, bean, lupins, soybeans, feed mixtures. Moreover, the low meal content produced during crushing of the respective product makes the KAHL crushing roller mill an economical solution for conditioning feed made from the above-mentioned raw materials for the animal feed industry.
In order to meet individual requirements, the crushing roller mill is available in a single-stage, two-stage or three-stage design. The capacity ranges from 10 to 60 t/h with a drive power of 22 to 55 kW (motor with V-belt drive and gear). It is possible to choose between roller lengths of 1000 mm and 1500 mm. A diameter of 300 or 400 mm completes the range of models, so that any objective, performance, product quality and much more can be met. All rollers are made of special steel, chilled cast iron. The modular design of the crushing roller mill ensures its variable use.
More than 140 years of experience in the design and manufacture of various machines according to the highest quality standards makes AMANDUS KAHL one of the most successful manufacturers of machines and plants for the upstream and downstream processing of various products to be pelleted. The German mechanical engineering company has also developed a unique selling point with its flat die pelleting presses on the global economic market. Further innovations from AMANDUS KAHL will bring the roller mill even further into the focus of the user.
(All rights on the text are reserved by AMANDUS KAHL GmbH & Co. KG/ Photo ©Timeslice - Gesellschaft zur Entwicklung visueller Konzepte und Herstellung moderner Medien mbH)
