Pellet Machine Manual [ AUTHENTIC ✦ ]

| Symptom | Most Likely Cause | Immediate Fix | Long-term Prevention | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Die holes glazed/polished (lost friction) | Mix 5% sand + 10% vegetable oil; run for 2 minutes to re-roughen holes. | Use proper roller gap; avoid over-polishing new dies. | | Pellets cracking horizontally | High moisture (>18%) or too much lignin | Reduce moisture by drying raw material 1 hour. | Install moisture meter; dry feedstock to 14%. | | Pellets blackened / burned | Die temperature >100°C; friction too high | Stop machine. Add 1% water to feed. Let die cool 30 min. | Increase roller gap to 0.5mm; reduce feed rate. | | Machine vibrating violently | Uneven feed distribution or bent roller | Check for foreign metal (screw, stone) in die chamber. | Install magnetic separator before inlet. | | Motor overload trip | Die blocked solid or material too dense | Manually unblock die using a drill (same hole diameter). | Never fill chamber before starting. Use soft start. | | Rollers not turning | Bearing seized or compression spring failed | Replace roller assembly. | Grease every 4 hours if running biomass. | | Low output (kg/hr) | Die holes compressed (closed) | "Peen" die: run coarse sand + oil mixture for 10 min. | Use 50% softwood + 50% hardwood mix. |