In either case, you need to fully understand the basics of pellet mills before you make any purchasing decisions. The following information is aimed at helping you make an informed decision before you buy a pellet mill. Keep in mind that the most important piece of equipment you'll need to make pellets is the pellet mill, so be sure to thoroughly familiarize yourself with their operation.



When you first start researching the pellet making process, you'll notice that there are only two different types of pellets mills that are used to make pellets. The difference between these two choices comes down to the type of die that they use to form the pellets. These two types are known as the ring die type pellet mill, and the flat plate type pellet mill.

The first is the ring die type pellet mill. As the name implies, it uses a ring die to form the pellets. The ring die itself is a thick metal cylinder with holes drilled through the cylinder around the circumference. Inside the ring are the rollers that are used to push the material through the die. Raw materials in the form of wood waste or biomass are fed into the center of the ring, and the rollers force them through the holes of the ring die. The formed pellets then emerge from the outside of the die.

This type of pellet machine is what you'd see in a commercial pellet plant that produces a high volume of pellets. The ring die type mill is a high cost, heavy duty machine that's largely out of the price range of most people that make their own wood or biomass pellets.

Next is the flat plate die type pellet mill. This machine utilizes a flat plate to form the pellets. If you can imagine a meat grinder, the die used in it is very similar to that of the flat plate style pellet mill. The die is made from a thick round flat plate with many holes drilled through it. A set of rollers ride on top of the plate, and when the raw feedstock is fed into the machine, the die turns along with the rollers.

To get a better idea of how this arrangement works, imagine a wheel on the edge of record player. This combined die and roller action forces the raw material through the die causing formed pellets to exit on the underside of the die, where they fall into a chute and exit the machine. The flat plate type pellet mill is typically much less expensive than its ring die counterpart, and are mostly used by do-it-yourself pellet producers.

They're also relatively simple to work on, and can be powered by a number of different methods. This in turn lends to the appeal of the flat plate mill to the small scale producer. By utilizing a power source that you may already own, you can save a lot of money by buying only the mill portion.