| 摘要 |
<p>An apparatus (10) and method for the production of sterile, pelleted feed products includes an extruder device (12) equipped with a pelleting head (14) adjacent the outlet end of the extruder barrel (17). The pelleting head (14) includes an annular die section (52) having die openings (58) therethrough which is secured to the extruder barrel (17), forming an extension thereof; a rotatable, multiple-vane plate (66) is secured to the screw (42) of the device (12) and cooperates with the die section (52) to form pellets. A rotatable knife (16) cuts emerging extrudate to size the pellets. In an alternative embodiment, the plate (66) is separately powered for rotation independent of the extruder screw (42), preferably by a prime mover (102) coupled with a short extruder screw section (100) which supports the plate (66). Preferably, the extruder device (12) is equipped with an upstream preconditioner (40) to moisturize and uniformly mix dry feed ingredients and to at least partially precook the mixture.</p> |
