Pellet mill sizes vary, from large facilities used to fuel biomass power plants, to smaller models designed for home use. The pelletizing machine can be used across a variety of industries and for numerous purposes, but the basic principal behind the machinery nonetheless remains the same: to lessen the volume of raw material and to increase its density and uniformity by converting it to pellets. The product of the machinery—the pellet—can be categorized into three basic types.

Feed Pellets

One type is feed pellets for more convenient distribution to livestock. For over a century, pellet machines have been employed to decrease the volume of animal feed. Diverse mixtures can be created to enhance the feed's nutritional content, then compressed using the pellet press.

Animal Bedding

A second use is for animal bedding. Although wood shavings have traditionally been employed as animal bedding, it has been shown that the dust within the shavings can trigger problems in animals' respiratory systems. By converting the wood shavings to pellets using a pellet press, these problems can be mitigated as pellets are more absorbent and create less dust.

Wood Pellets

Lastly, is wood pellets. Within the last decade wood pellets have used as an alternative fuel source to fossil fuels. Wood pellets can be transported like a liquid and readily flow via hopper systems. The density of pellets increases the combustion temperature beyond that of simply burning logs.