wood pellet maker

[brenweld]

im trying to plan out how to make a wood pellet processing machine has anyone any advise or pictures whats the best parts to look for to make one

 

[the snooper]

what are the wooden pellets for ?

edit

i see they are used for burning and are apparently made from saw dust

have a look on wikipedia it tells you the process used for manufacture

 

[brenweld]

i need to make the pellets to work in the pellet burners used to heat a home

 

[the snooper]

Pellets are produced by compressing the wood material which has first passed through a hammer mill to provide a uniform dough-like mass. This mass is fed to a press where it is squeezed through a die having holes of the size required (normally 6 mm diameter, sometimes 8 mm or larger). The high pressure of the press causes the temperature of the wood to increase greatly, and the lignin plastifies slightly forming a natural 'glue' that holds the pellet together as it cools

 

[brenweld]

i have a machine to make the dough-like mass now i need to make a press for extruding the pellets im looking for ideas of how to make one im thinking of making one that will make a large amount of pellets and thinking of using a tractor to power the machine. whats the best thing to use for the rollers for pressing the dough through the holes

 

[the snooper]

in my mind you would need a certain length tube that would fill with the dough to the top (a measured amount) then a die to fit the tube and compress it but you would need many of them you would also need something to force the pellet out once compressed

 

[brenweld]

ok thanks i will start working on it in the next few days

 

[the snooper]

there will be an easier way i dont think it will be as easy as you think type it into youtube it shows some small machines making them

 

[the snooper]

according to one web site you need at least 8,000 lbs of pressure to form the pellet

 

[bluebobtail]

Hi, would you mind posting some photo;s of your build as you go, As it may give me some ideas.
Thanks

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

in my mind you would need a certain length tube that would fill with the dough to the top (a measured amount) then a die to fit the tube and compress it but you would need many of them you would also need something to force the pellet out once compressed

Can you find a mincing machine to look at .

I'd have thought that an 1/2 auger lip welded on a 2 inch solid shaft would do for the force and make the die plate out of some inch thick steel . make sure you can undo the die plate to remove the auger .

perhaps consider using keyed on gears to drive it and have a decent heavy flywheel ,


I you decide on a cutter fit on the output side of the die plate and make it a simple rotating blunt blade.
two Gravity feed hoppers with a very very strong big magnet to pull out any steel set between the two hoppers.

My friend James has a bio mass boiler system and he uses a powered chipper to bung in his green branches up to 3 inches across.

He then dries the cuttings on a shed floor turning them every few days .

His feed hopper for the boiler is some 20 feet across and funnels down 15 feet to the auger . It also has several levels of 6 inch weld mesh floor for a safety factor in case any one falls in and the wood chip avalanches over them and to stop them getting pulled in by the auger.

He has made a simple vibrator device to vibrate the weld mesh floors so the chips keep dropping down to the auger.

 

[brenweld]

ok thanks i will add pictures of the progress

 

[Pellet Head]

Pellets

im trying to plan out how to make a wood pellet processing machine has anyone any advise or pictures whats the best parts to look for to make one

I bought a machine to do this ... BUILD IT IF U CAN!!! the die plate is 6 inch in diameter on mine and has 95 1/4 inch holes in it . oh and is 1 and 1/8 inch thick.

the die turns and the rollers are fixed. I am sure by now u have seen pics on line. i believe it needs a stronger motor i have a 13 hp gas engine on the one i have belt drive and it bogs down and stops up the dies. i am beginning to believe the rollers should be more narrow, would mean less pellets at a time but less plugups an stopping to undo the plugged holes

 

[brenweld]

i made up one that works too slow and my wood pellet burner has given nothing only trouble in the last few days cost a fortune for call outs and parts now still wont work the service techinicians are no help on the phone so now i want to come up with something to heat the house with something less expensive using burnt oil or waste timber (pallets logs) any one have something like this done already??

 

[the snooper]

what happened to the pictures of your build i was following your thread then nothing.
also what is the problem with you burner can't you modify it

 

[brenweld]

sorry about pictures i will get some up. the burner is mostly computer controlled the technician has to plug in a computer every time to do anything with it its a complicated machine to get going right im trying to come up with a simple way to heat the house and cost effective im thinking of a fire box heating a boiler and buffer tank im going to look at one thats done in the next few days and see how good it is