Cracking Mill

Introduction

Cracking mills –or crackers- are used to break stock (soybeans etc.) into smaller pieces. They are used extensively in the oil seed industry in a process step known as ‘cracking’.

Cracking Mills For Soybeans
Cracking mills utilize corrugated rolls of varying diameters and each roll has a grooved pattern. Soybeans become trapped between the troughs and peaks of the grooves, and this causes the soybean to break into multiple pieces. The rolls are usually stacked two or three high, which means each cracking mill consists of four or six rolls in total.

A typical two high cracking mill will break the soybeans into halves or quarters using the upper roles, then into quarters or eighths using the lower rolls.  Due to the fine clearances between the roll grooves, it is imperative that impurities such as stones and metal are removed from the product stream prior to cracking.

One of the most important aspects of cracking is ensuring that the feed is fed evenly across the entire length of the cracking mill rolls.  A feeder is used to spread the feed uniformly across the rolls, this ensures the cracker is operating at maximum capacity and also promotes even wear across the rolls. It is important to realise that dehulling will not be achieved satisfactorily if the soybeans have not been cracked as intended.

Cracked soybeans can be processed directly to form low-pro meal, or, the hulls will be separated from the meats to form high-pro meal.

 

3D Model Details

This 3D model shows all major components associated with a typical cracking mill, these include:

  • Cracking Mill Rolls
  • Feeder
  • Casing

 

Additional Resources

https://www.efeedlink.com/contents/04-29-2009/901d9ab9-517c-46ce-873e-f40c3b03e708-a832.html

https://www.feedmachinery.com/glossary/equipment/roller_mills