# US 2019/0168180 A1 · Method and apparatus for manufacturing excrement treatment material > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0168180 A1 - Document ID: US20190168180A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/268,794 - Filed: 2019-02-06 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-09-05 - Assignees: Daiki Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Daiki Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Junji YOSHINAGA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190168180A1 ## CPC - B01J 2/20: by expressing the material, e.g. through sieves and fragmenting the extruded length - A01K 1/0152: {Litter} - A01K 1/0154: {comprising inorganic material} - B01J 2/003: {followed by coating of the granules (to prevent the granules sticking together B01J2/30)} - B29B 9/12: characterised by structure or composition - B30B 11/227: {Means for dividing the extruded material into briquets} - B30B 11/228: {using pressing means, e.g. rollers moving over a perforated die plate} - A01K 1/0155: {comprising organic material} - B01J 20/28019: {Spherical, ellipsoidal or cylindrical} - B29B 9/06: in the form of filamentary material, e.g. combined with extrusion - B29C 48/002: {combined with surface shaping} - B29C 48/04: Particle-shaped (making granules B29B9/00) - B29C 48/345: Extrusion nozzles comprising two or more adjacently arranged ports, for simultaneously extruding multiple strands, e.g. for pelletising - B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS - A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS - B29B: PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS - B30B: PRESSES IN GENERAL (producing ultra-high pressure or ultra-high pressure and high temperature to effect modifications of a substance, e.g. for making artificial diamonds B01J3/00 ){(compressing means for refuse receptacles B65F1/1405)} - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) ## Abstract The manufacturing method includes a granulation step. The granulation step is a step of forming a plurality of granules by performing extrusion granulation on a granulation material using a granulation machine. The granulation machine includes a die and a roller. A through hole that allows the granulation material to pass therethrough is formed in the die. The roller pushes the granulation material into the through hole while rolling on the surface of the die. In the granulation step, low-speed pushing in which the granulation material is pushed while the roller rolls at a first speed, and high-speed pushing in which the granulation material is pushed while the roller rolls at a second speed that is higher than the first speed are executed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material comprising: a granulation step of forming a plurality of granules by performing extrusion granulation on a granulation material using a granulation machine, wherein the granulation machine includes: a die in which a through hole that allows the granulation material to pass therethrough is formed; and a roller that pushes the granulation material into the through hole while rolling on a surface of the die, and in the granulation step, low-speed pushing in which the granulation material is pushed while the roller rolls at a first speed, and high-speed pushing in which the granulation material is pushed while the roller rolls at a second speed that is higher than the first speed are executed. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 1, wherein the second speed is two times or more the first speed. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 1, wherein, in the granulation step, the low-speed pushing and the high-speed pushing are alternately executed a plurality of times. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 3, wherein an execution time for a single instance of each of the low-speed pushing and the high-speed pushing is 1 minute or less. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 1, wherein the granules that are obtained through the high-speed pushing have a mean length value that is two times or more a mean length value of the granules that are obtained through the low-speed pushing. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 1, wherein the granules that are obtained through the high-speed pushing have a mean length value that is greater than a diameter of the through hole, and the granules that are obtained through the low-speed pushing have a mean length value that is less than or equal to the diameter of the through hole. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 1, wherein, in the granulation step, intermediate-speed pushing in which the granulation material is pushed while the roller rolls at a third speed that is higher than the first speed and lower than the second speed is executed. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 7, wherein the third speed is 1.5 times or more the first speed, and the second speed is 1.5 times or more the third speed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 7, wherein, in the granulation step, the low-speed pushing, the intermediate-speed pushing, and the high-speed pushing are executed in a predetermined order a plurality of times. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 9, wherein an execution time for a single instance of each of the low-speed pushing, the intermediate-speed pushing, and the high-speed pushing is 1 minute or less. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 7, wherein the granules that are obtained through the intermediate-speed pushing have a mean length value that is 1.5 times or more a mean length value of the granules that are obtained through the low-speed pushing, and the granules that are obtained through the high-speed pushing have a mean length value that is 1.5 times or more the mean length value of the granules that are obtained through the intermediate-speed pushing. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 1, comprising a coating step of coating each of the granules formed in the granulation step with a coating material. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 12, wherein, in the coating step, the coating material is attached to an outer surface of each of the granules while rotating a container in which the plurality of granules formed in the granulation step are housed. ### Claim 14 An apparatus for manufacturing an excrement treatment material comprising: a granulation machine that forms a plurality of granules by performing extrusion granulation on a granulation material, the granulation machine including: a die in which a through hole that allows the granulation material to pass therethrough is formed; and a roller that pushes the granulation material into the through hole while rolling on a surface of the die, wherein the granulation machine executes low-speed pushing in which the granulation material is pushed while the roller rolls at a first speed, and high-speed pushing in which the granulation material is pushed while the roller rolls at a second speed that is higher than the first speed. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 14, wherein the granulation machine alternately executes the low-speed pushing and the high-speed pushing a plurality of times. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The apparatus for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 14, wherein the granules that are obtained through the high-speed pushing have a mean length value that is greater than a diameter of the through hole, and the granules that are obtained through the low-speed pushing have a mean length value that is less than or equal to the diameter of the through hole. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The apparatus for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 14, wherein the granulation machine executes intermediate-speed pushing in which the granulation material is pushed while the roller rolls at a third speed that is higher than the first speed and lower than the second speed. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The apparatus for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 17, wherein the granulation machine executes the low-speed pushing, the intermediate-speed pushing, and the high-speed pushing in a predetermined order a plurality of times. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The apparatus for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 14, comprising a coating machine that coats each of the granules formed by the granulation machine with a coating material. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The apparatus for manufacturing an excrement treatment material according to claim 19, wherein the coating machine includes a container that houses the plurality of granules formed by the granulation machine, and causes the coating material to be attached to an outer surface of each of the granules while rotating the container in which the plurality of granules are housed.