Interview With Arturo Sánchez: Tietjen’s Vision to Optimize Grinding Through The FD 32 Pro

1. What are the main solutions Tietjen currently offers?  

Tietjen is a specialist in size reduction for pet food, fish feed and as well wood or food applications. We are known for our robust, efficient hammer mills for almost 70 years. 
 

We provide a large range of mills, from compact systems for small operations to large-scale, fine grinding high-capacity hammer mills made for pet food producers. 
 

Furthermore, we put a strong focus on an optimized grinding system with the hammer mill at its heart. We know from our customers all over the world that only an optimized grinding system reaches the highest productivity. So, we look that aspiration, feeding, transport, grinding as well as dust explosion protection are well aligned in our grinding systems. A typical Tietjen customer knows about these advantages and gets a well aligned grinding system.  

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2. Why is the grinding process so important in pet food production? 

On the one hand, the grinding process is at the beginning of the pet food production process and has a massive influence on the efficiency of the downstream processes, e.g., homogeneous fine grinded pet food recipes reduce the incidence of die plugging in extruder, reduce wear, and improve binding properties due to uniformity and cleanness of the ground material. Most importantly, fine grinded pet food recipes are a prior condition for the production of uniform premium pet food kibbles.  
 

On the other hand, grinding is one of the most energy consming parts in the pet food production process, so it is worth looking at it in more detail to figure our energy saving potentials. 

3. What key features set the new FD 32 Pro Hammer Mill apart within Tietjen's portfolio of solutions?  

The FD 32 Pro hammer mill by Tietjen was designed for pet food and aqua feed manufacturers. It is engineered to address the requirements for more throughput and fine grinding on the one hand, and energy efficiency on the other hand.  

 

Well-known features of Tietjen hammer mills, such as robustness, user-friendliness and the smooth running of the rotor, have been retained and supplemented with new design features. For example, the rotor diameter has been increased by 100 mm to achieve a higher beater tip speed. Also, the distance between the beater tip and the screen has been reduced to prevent the screen openings from clogging in the case of high fat contents.  
 

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The grinding chamber was extended to 1600 mm and divided by a centre wall so that the screens, each 800 mm wide, are easy to handle. Four screens are installed per grinding chamber segment, resulting in a total screen area of 4.8 m² (7,440 in²). A special screen-fastening seals the screens so that no oversize particles can get into the product.  
 

In daily operation, the FD 32 Pro impresses with its ease of maintenance and economical operation. Large sliding doors on both sides of the machine allow easy access for screen and beater change. Beaters are changed using the beater frame system, which has been well-proven in Tietjen large chamber mills for more than 40 years. The advantages of this system are the quick replacement of the beaters and reduced idling energy of the mill. 

4. What are the concrete benefits of this model in terms of performance, energy efficiency, or end-product quality?  

0.8 mm (20 mesh) screens after grdining fat and protein rich pet food recipes.

Due to its large size, the FD 32 Pro mill enables pet food producers to achieve both high throughput and fine particle size simultaneously when grinding pet food formulations. The throughput of the hammer mill complies with the requirements of the newest generation of high-capacity extruders. 
 

In practical operation, the FD 32 Pro is able to process even protein- and fat-rich recipes through a 0.8 mm screen (20 mesh) without clogging—something that most mills cannot accomplish without multiple stoppages or the use of several machines. 
 

Thanks to its dimensions and throughput, production with the FD 32 Pro is both more efficient and more energy-saving compared to conventional mills currently in use. There is additional potential for energy savings through the optimal configuration of the FD 32 Pro, as fineness and energy consumption are influenced by rotor speed, screen size, and beater configuration. Identifying the optimal setup here results in measurable cost savings. 
 

It is important to highlight the significance of regular service and maintenance: Tietjen provides a strong service team with deep expertise in how maintenance impacts operational productivity. For example, damaged seals can reduce pressure inside the mill, significantly decreasing throughput. 
 

Finally, it is essential to take a system-based approach: Never consider a hammer mill in isolation—always evaluate the entire grinding system. Our experience shows that well-aligned grinding systems are far more efficient, and as grinding specialists, we know how to optimize a system to achieve maximum productivity 

5. How does this solution meet the specific needs of the Latin American pet food market?  

Energy efficiency, productivity, and the production of high-quality premium pet food are increasingly important in South America. With our FD 32 Pro hammer mill—specially developed to address the specific needs of pet food manufacturers—we are confident that we can meet and even exceed customer expectations. 
 

We offer not only a high-capacity, fine grinding hammer mill, but also comprehensive expertise in designing and aligning grinding systems for maximum productivity. By optimally configuring your entire grinding process, we enable consistent, energy-efficient production of premium pet food with outstanding quality and reliability. 

6. In what type of plants or projects do you see the FD 32 Pro making a real difference?  

When the first FD 32 Pro machines were put into operation, we noticed that the mill achieves very high fineness levels and grinds the material as finely as a pulverizer. For very small extrudates, such as those used in the production of starter fish feed or shrimp feed in the aqua feed industry, this opens up new possibilities for single-stage grinding. This significantly reduces investment costs and energy consumption. 

7. What role does technological innovation play in Tietjen's current strategy?  

Technological innovation plays a central role in Tietjen's current strategy and is a key driver of our competitive edge and customer value. This is as well reflected in the recent developed products like already mentioned FD 32 Pro hammer mill but also the Tietjen Crusher CR 900 and the Online Particle Size Controller (OPC) contribute to an increase in productivity, reliability and energy efficiency. 
 

By integrating Tietjen's Crusher CR900, coarse ingredients like pulses or pellets can be pre-ground before entering the hammer mill. This results in a more homogeneous product that requires less grinding time in the hammer mill, reducing both retention time and heat buildup. Since the pre-crusher operates with lower energy consumption than the hammer mill, overall energy usage is reduced. 
 

Our OPC (Online Particle Size Controller) is another innovation that boosts process transparency and quality assurance. By enabling real-time monitoring of particle size during milling, the OPC helps customers to detect screen break and wear early in the process. This level of digitalization and process control is increasingly essential in modern production environments, such as in the feed and pet food sectors. 
 

Overall, Tietjen's strategy is characterized by continuous improvement of core machinery and integration of digital solutions to enhance productivity  and product quality in pet food production. We ensure that our customers can meet today's challenging market demands through reliable, high-performance technology that is regularly refined and updated based on industry developments and customer feedback. 

8. Finally, in which upcoming events will Tietjen be participating, either in Latin America or internationally? 

We are participating in pet food events all over the world, such as Victam Latam, CIPEU, Fenagra, Victam International, EuroTier, IPPE 
 

Thank you, Arturo, for sharing your vision of the market and Tietjen's latest updates. 

To learn more, visit their website: https://www.tietjen-original.com/en 

 
Source: All Pet Food