Automation in feed mill

1. AUTOMATED FEED
MILL
Dr AMEER SUHAIL A
Animal Nutritionist

2. Introduction
• Automated Feedmill Control System is the control and automation of batching,
grinding, material receiving, truck scale and loadout processes
• Enhance safety, consistency, profitability
• Automation of feed mill is done by more sophisticated control devices, equipment
and systems

4. PLC (Programmable Logic Control)
This consists of a list of logic functions and instructions, which are successively
processed through a program.

5. Control System
• This a customizable software and hardware package.
• With a custom hardware and software solution you have the ability to
monitor and completely control a facility from a PC.
• The operation of the PLC controller can be monitored and changed via
the keyboard/mouse and the recipes/alarming log etc.
• The PLC graphically displays the information on a screen (touch screen
or standard) and allows the user to manipulate the data on the PLC
(start/stop motors, view outgoing batches etc.)

6. Structure of a PLC Program
• They consist of individual, separately defined programs sections which are executed in sequence
• These programs sections are called blocks (input/output block, etc.)
• The blocks are functionally independent.
• Assigning a particular (technical) function to a specific block, which has clearly defined and simple interfaces
with other blocks
• Blocks contain the program logic graphically represented.

8. Types Of Control Systems
• Host computers
• Distributed control systems
• Industrial computers
• Personal computer based systems
• Electric Control System
• Operator interfaces

9. Host Computers
Function at or near the top of the feed mill control system hierarchy.
Distributed control systems
• DCS use subsystems to control distributed processes or complete manufacturing
systems
• Single failure will not shut down the entire manufacturing operation.

10. Industrial computers
• With proper software makes a superb operator interface
• Alarm and diagnostics messages can be presented in the operators own language and
become increasingly insistent.

11. Personal computer based systems
• PC can adapt to a wide variety of applications ranging from word processing, structural
analysis, accounting and data acquisition
• Multiple equipment that are linked by a host control system is controlled
• Put together advanced control functions, complex mathematics

12. Operator Interfaces
• Multiple equipment that are linked by host control system is controlled
• Put together optimized control stratergies

13. Electric Control System
• Accurate and simple operation, high efficiency, reduced cost
• More compact device, circuit integration and functionality
• Equipment fault warning and fault location functions are helpful to maintainer; they can
debug the faults and recover manufacture rapidly

14. Automated Receiving Module
• User enters the receiving product name or number and amount through a PC interface
• The electric distributor is automatically set for the appropriate destination bin, which
references ingredient to bin location
• Every feed mill has a “white board” to show what materials are in the bin
• White board will accurately display the materials and the amount for any bin.
This provides instant access and maximum convenience

15. Automatic Milling Module
• The electrical current draw of the roller mill is monitored by the PLC (Programmed Logic
Control) through the roller mill.
• Clean out time is allocated for the stopping of the process
• Alarming - if any problems
• Reports of activity and hours of use can be printed.

16. Automatic Mixing of Major, Macro, & Micro
Ingredients
• A personal computer with a large colour monitor and printer is used as the interface
for this stage of production
• Inventory check before recipe production begins
• The database can accept multiple formulas (products - operations)
• Recipes are created from the PC
• Number of batches needed to mix the recipe is automatically determined
• Graphical representation shows recipes in scale, recipe in batch queue, recipe in mixer etc
• User will be able to monitor receiving, grinding, mixing, pelleting and shipping from PC

17. Automatic Destination
• Destination of the product is entered when the order is created; therefore the destination
distributor is automatically set by the PLC when that order reaches the surge bin.
• This destination bin is recorded with this order for shipping module.

18. Intelligent Scale Controllers
• This controller record, store and display scale weights along with truck ID, vendor ID,
commodity ID, tare, net and gross weights.
• This information can be transferred to other devices for future storage and processing

19. Benefits
• Custom designed software application to meet your exact automation and system requirements
• Superior accuracy and performance
• better thoroughput and high resolution possible
• Meet feed safety requirements
• Remote supervisory control
• Can incorporate multiple ingredient application of virtually any quantity and can Integrate a range of mixer
types, sizes and quanties

20. Feed Mill Processing

21. Feed Production Processing / Feed Pellet Line
• Silos for raw materials storage
• Raw materials receiving system
• First batching system
• Mixing system
• Second batching
• Crushing system
• Pelletizing system
• Cooling system
• Bagging system.

22. Hammer Mill
• Grind the raw materials ingredients into the required size
• Suitable for small or medium sized feedstuff pellet mill plant
• Water drop hammer mill is an ideal choice for large scale feedstuff
pelletizing factory

23. Mixer
• Vital process in animal feed preparation
• Increase diet uniformity and improve the feedstuff quality
• Twin shaft mixer - particle materials
Screw belt mixer - powdered materials
• Equipped with atomizing spraying system to add liquids to improve feed pellets quality

24. Pelletizing Machine
• Key feed equipment for the animal feed pellet line.
• Ring die design is used in large capacity feed pellets production.

25. Cooler
• Feed pellets with high temperature and large moist are cooled by counterflow
cooler.
• Cooled pellets are crushed, screened or packed.

26. Pellet Crumbler
• Feed pellets crushed to various size because different animal
need different size
The double roll feed pellet crumbler - Poultry, pig and cattle feeds
• Rotary grading sieve screens and grades feed pellets without powder

27. Automatic Packing Machine
• Weigh and pack the feedstuff pellets automatically with high accuracy for storage
and transport

28. Bagging / Bagging machine
• It is a heavy duty machine for the repeated and accurate weighment in bags of products like
pelleted or mash feed, cereals, grains

29. Merits Of Automated Feed Mill
• Reduction in operational cost while increasing facility efficiency
• Allows for quick and easy administration decisions
• Programmable and easily expandable to fit the customer’s needs
• With the automatic batch mixing process the control package can control automatic
destination of the mixed product
• Control Systems development time reduced by up to 80%
• Reduction in overall costs of development, boost of productivity and increases reliability
• Control major, minor, and micro ingredients through one scale or several scales along
with control of liquid ingredients

30. Disadvantages
• Technical knowledge/skills are required
• Initial cost is more
• Maintanence cost is high
• Any error in single operation can reflected in the entire process