This project concerns a micro-mill for fish feed processing in Nigeria. A fish feed mill in Ibadan, Nigeria, was expanding into extruded floating feed for tilapia. Extruded feed requires finer flour than pelleted feed. Coarse particles create weak spots in the dough, leading to poor expansion and low water stability. Their existing hammer mill could only achieve 300-400 microns. For extrusion, they needed 150-200 microns.
This project concerns a micro-mill for fish feed processing in Nigeria. A fish feed mill in Ibadan, Nigeria, was expanding into extruded floating feed for tilapia. Extruded feed requires finer flour than pelleted feed. Coarse particles create weak spots in the dough, leading to poor expansion and low water stability. Their existing hammer mill could only achieve 300-400 microns. For extrusion, they needed 150-200 microns.
The production manager (let's call him Adebayo) explained: "We were making sinking pellets for catfish. That worked fine with 300-400 micron flour. But tilapia farmers want floating feed. To get good expansion and floating pellets, we needed finer flour. Our hammer mill couldn't do it. We were buying pre-ground flour from another mill – expensive and inconsistent."
The company produces about 10,000 tons annually of fish feed – mostly catfish sinking pellets. Their new tilapia floating feed line requires 150-200 micron flour for proper extrusion.
Adebayo looked for a micro mill that could achieve 150-200 microns consistently. He found the SWFL90 from RICHI.
Name:
fish feed micro mill
Country:
Nigeria
Date:
2025
Capacity:
1.0-2.0 tons/hour
Model:
SWFL90
Main Motor Power:
90kW
Raw Materials:
Corn, Soybean meal, Wheat bran
Final product size:
150-200 microns
From the ultrafine grinder table, the SWFL90 (90kW) was selected. Why this model?
Adebayo chose the SWFL90 because their hammer mill couldn't achieve the fineness needed for floating feed extrusion.
Nigeria has a growing aquaculture industry. Adebayo's mill uses:
The challenge is grinding corn and soybean meal to 150-200 microns. Corn is hard and abrasive. Soybean meal has some oil content. The SWFL90's classifier wheel handles both.
The SWFL90 arrived at the Port of Lagos (Apapa Port) – Nigeria's largest port.
Shipping time from Qingdao to Lagos is about 30-35 days. The machine was packed in a 20-foot container with:
Customs clearance in Lagos took about 10 days – longer than in Europe, but typical for Nigeria. Total landed cost was about 28% higher than the FOB price.
Installation took two weeks. Adebayo's team prepared a concrete foundation – the SWFL90 weighs about 4.5 tons. They poured a 200mm reinforced slab.
The electrical hookup required 380V, 50Hz three-phase (Nigerian standard). The 90kW motor required a 200-amp breaker.
The first test run was with corn (pre-ground through 2.0mm screen). The classifier wheel was set to 2,600 RPM. A sieve test showed 90% passing through 80 mesh (180 microns). Perfect for extrusion.
After six months of operation, Adebayo documented the following results:
Before (hammer mill – 300-400 microns, plus buying pre-ground flour):
After (SWFL90 – 150-200 microns):
Production output:
Quality improvements:
Here's what Adebayo said after six months (paraphrased from a conversation):
"We were buying pre-ground flour from another mill because our hammer mill couldn't get fine enough for floating feed. The flour was expensive, and the quality was inconsistent. Sometimes the extruder ran well. Sometimes it didn't.
The SWFL90 changed that. We now grind our own flour at 150-180 microns. The extruder runs consistently. Our floating pellets stay floating. 95-100% float for over 2 hours. Tilapia farmers love it.
The classifier wheel is the key. It returns coarse particles for regrinding. Only fine particles exit. No more buying expensive flour from someone else.
A few operational notes: The hammers wear – about 600-700 hours with corn. We keep spares. The pre-screen is 2.0mm – that's fine for 150-200 micron output. The air balance is critical – we found our sweet spot at 3,500 m³/h.
Would I recommend this machine? Yes. For any fish feed mill making floating feed, fine grinding is essential. The SWFL90 delivers consistent flour that makes extrusion easy."
Extruded floating feed has different requirements than sinking feed. Here's why 150-200 microns is critical:
Dough conditioning: Fine flour absorbs steam and water evenly during preconditioning. Coarse flour creates uneven dough with dry spots.
Expansion: Fine flour creates a uniform dough that expands consistently at the die. Coarse flour creates weak spots that don't expand well.
Floating: Consistent expansion means consistent density. Pellets float. Inconsistent expansion means some pellets sink.
Oil absorption: After extrusion, pellets are coated with oil (palm oil, fish oil). Fine flour creates a porous structure that absorbs oil evenly.
Adebayo's testing showed:
The SWFL90's classifier wheel ensures consistent particle size. Here's how Adebayo uses it:
Tilapia floating feed (150-180 micron target):
Catfish sinking feed (coarser, 250-300 microns):
Changeover takes 15 minutes.
For 150-200 micron output, a 2.0mm pre-screen is sufficient. The classifier wheel does the fine separation. Adebayo uses the same 2.0mm screen for both floating and sinking feed – just changes classifier speed.
Corn is abrasive. The SWFL90 micro feed crusher machine's alloy-protected hammers last 600-700 hours with corn – 40% longer than standard hammers.
Adebayo bought a spare set with the machine. He swaps hammers every 5-6 months.
The biggest financial impact was eliminating purchased flour. Adebayo calculated:
The machine paid for itself in 6-8 months from flour savings alone. Extruder throughput increased by 38% – additional production capacity at no extra labor cost.
The SWFL90 shipped from Qingdao to Port of Lagos (Apapa Port), Nigeria.
Shipping time from Qingdao to Lagos is about 30-35 days. The route goes through the South China Sea, past Singapore, across the Indian Ocean, around the Cape of Good Hope, and up the Atlantic coast of West Africa.
The machine was packed in a 20-foot container. Customs clearance in Lagos took about 10 days. Total landed cost was about 28% higher than the FOB price.
The truck transport from Lagos to Ibadan was about 140km – roughly 2.5 hours.
For a fish feed mill producing floating feed, fine grinding is essential.
Consider the SWFL90 if:
For Adebayo's fish feed mill, the SWFL90 was the right investment. It enabled floating feed production, eliminated purchased flour (saving ₦75,000,000 annually), increased extruder throughput by 38%, and paid for itself in 6-8 months.
If you're a fish feed mill producing floating feed, don't settle for coarse flour. Extruded feed needs fine flour for proper expansion and floatation.
The SWFL90 micro mill for fish feed processing produces 150-180 micron flour – the ideal size for tilapia floating feed. The classifier wheel ensures consistency. The alloy hammers last longer with corn. The result is 95-100% floating pellets that tilapia farmers trust.
For floating feed, the math is simple: finer flour = better floatation = happier farmers = repeat business.
RICHI offers documentation in English, classifier speed guidance, spare parts kits, and remote support. Contact RICHI Machinery through the website with your target species, desired particle size, and capacity for a recommendation. Tell them about your floating feed application – they can help you select the right grinder and classifier settings for optimal floatation.
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