The Price of Oil Expeller Machine: What You Need to Know Before Buying

When you invest in anything at all, it’s never a good idea to rely on price alone to make a decision. Making a solely cost-based decision might mean that you are settling for less in terms of quality, safety, or efficacy. And settling for less in these areas will cost you in the long run. When it comes to oil extraction equipment, the price of oil expeller machine(s) will make up a significant chunk of your total CAPEX investment, regardless of the scale of your operation. In this case, too, your choice of machinery should not depend on only its cost. But since you are investing so much in it, it is imperative that the price of oil expeller machine is justified by its usefulness, quality, and overall, the returns it gives you.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at mechanical extraction, the equipment needed to mechanically extract oil, and the equipment features you should look for to make a good purchase decision and not feel cheated by the price of oil expeller machines in the market.

Why do you need an oil expeller machine?

Let’s say you have chosen to get into the castor oil business. What all do you need to get started with the process? Well, for starters, you need to source your castor seeds. You need to invest in machinery to prepare the seeds (this includes seed cleaning and conditioning), to extract oil from the prepared seeds, and if you choose to, to refine the extracted crude oil and to convert the by-products of the process into useful resources for other industries (generally animal feed).

In addition to an oil extraction machine for the latter step of solvent extraction, an oil expeller machine is what you will need to do the core job – mechanical extraction. The price of oil expeller machine in India as well as overseas is determined by the type of press (screw press or hydraulic press), by the output capacity of the machine, and by a number of other factors that we will look at more closely in this article. In essence, all oil expellers or mechanical extraction machines do the same thing: they apply pressure to plant-based oil-bearing materials to expel the oil contained in them. This is usually done without the addition of any heat, though some heat is generated due to the friction created by pressing the seeds. Despite the broad similarities and relative simplicity of mechanical extraction machines, let’s take a look at the specific product features which set such machines apart from each other and determine the difference in price of oil expeller machine in India.

What does the price of oil expeller machines depend on?

The price of oil expeller machine in India varies across regions, suppliers, quality, and capacity. So you can understand that we cannot just answer questions regarding price of oil expeller machines with a number. But we do suggest that before you start looking at price tags, you first determine your budget and your requirements, especially the product features for which you are not willing to compromise. This is your surest shot to ensuring that the price of oil expeller machines does not come in between you and the success of your oil extraction business.

When you’re shelling out all that money for a good oil expeller machine, make sure it’s worth your money. Here are the things you should keep in mind while assessing whether the machinery price is worth the value you will get from it:

• Motor power

The amount of pressure that needs to be generated to expel oil from different oil-bearing materials varies. For instance, extracting palm oil from the palm fruit requires less pressure compared to, say, extracting oil from the hard cashew nut shell. Either way, the amount of pressure needed is extremely high, especially when extracting large quantities of oil in commercial operations. So the motor power of oil expeller machines is extremely important. Ideally, your machine should run for a full shift of around 8 hours without getting too hot or by means of a temperature control mechanism. Most manufacturers in the oils and fats industry rely on machines with a motor power of anywhere between 400 to 600 watts. Small scale operations can also make do with compact 230 watt motors, but naturally, these will not run as efficiently if you operate them constantly for long hours. At the end of the day, your budget and the scale of your operations will determine the motor power you go for.

• Automation level

In today’s day and age,  you can’t do without process automation. But that doesn’t mean you have to shell out more money than you can afford to. You can get different oil expellers at different price points with differing levels of automation. It all comes down to your budget and how much human intervention you prefer to have in your oil extraction operations.

• Multipurpose machines

Some people are generalists and some people are specialists. Specialists are great when it comes to focused efforts on a single niche project or activity. But despite the benefits that specialisation brings, specialists often lack the agility and flexibility needed to adapt to external changes and pivot tracks when the market demands it. The same applies to oil expeller machines.

You may end up buying a highly specialised machine that integrates every step in the, say, sunflower oil manufacturing journey. Maybe the machine can prepare the seeds, extract oil from them, and refine the extracted oil, giving you end-to-end support in sunflower oil production. But what happens when the demand for sunflower oil begins to dwindle? Or if sunflower seeds become hard to source? You may want to pivot to producing a different oil, but your specialised machine may be entirely useless when it comes to the new oil.

Oil expeller machines are designed to either press a single type of seed or to be multi-functional and adaptable to different seeds. In most situations, unless it’s a specialised oil-bearing material like palm kernel, we would recommend going for a multi-purpose oil expeller.

• Durability

It is far from easy to assess the durability of an oil expeller and to know if the price of oil expeller machine is justified by its design and engineering. When faced with such dilemmas, you can rely on material of construction and design of wear and tear parts to determine durability. No matter which oil you want to extract, stainless steel is the best material for the construction of the body of the expeller machine. Kumar’s equipment also comes with special treatment of components to ensure longevity and minimal repair and maintenance needs. Features like these reveal the durability of oil extraction equipment and can help you determine whether they warrant the price of oil expeller machine being quoted to you.

• Thinking beyond CAPEX

When you think price of oil expeller machine in India, you usually think of just the initial cost that will go into the purchase and installation of the machine. But the best way to think about monetary investment is to also consider wear and tear (linked to equipment durability), maintenance requirements, and most importantly, the machine’s oil extraction capacity – or the returns you can expect to get on your investment. Equipment like Kumar’s, which ensures a long service life and high operating profit, is where it really makes sense to put your money. It also makes most sense to enter into an annual maintenance contract with your equipment partner; in the long run, this really helps you bring down the overall price of oil expeller machine and associated costs.

So there you have it – everything you need to know about whether the price of oil expeller machine you’re buying is justified. Apply these principles to other equipment – maybe oil extraction machines, an oil refinery plant, or whatever other machinery you are investing in – to make sure your purchase decisions are ones that you never regret.