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For anyone entering the oils and fats processing industry, the most fundamental piece of equipment to understand is the oil press machine. For anyone ready to invest in their very first press, the most crucial thing to assess is the oil press machine price. Before we get there, however, let us lay some context.
Why do you need an oil press machine?
Extracting oil from plant-based oil-bearing materials largely involves two main processes – mechanical extraction and solvent extraction. While some oils may be tricky to extract, requiring specialty extraction processes, common oils like groundnut oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, and even rice bran oil can be extracted by mechanical or solvent extraction or a combination of the two.
Mechanical extraction, achieved using an oil press machine (also called an expeller oil machine or an oil expeller), is a fairly straightforward process. It involves applying mechanical pressure on oil-bearing seeds, fruit, nuts, or any other oil-bearing source – usually one that has a high oil content. Oil expeller machines are usually of a screw press variety or a hydraulic press variety.
Solvent extraction, on the other hand, involves the use of a solvent – usually hexane – to extract oils from plant-based sources using the principle of solvation. After dousing the oil-bearing material in a suitable solvent, the solvent-oil miscella is separated from the cake. Then, the oil and the solvent are separated, with the extracted crude oil going to the oil refining process while the solvent is reused for the next round of extraction. The machine used for this process is usually called an oil extraction machine or an oil extractor machine.
Now for a handful of oils – take rice bran oil, for instance – only solvent extraction is employed because of an extremely low oil content. But with most oils, a combination of the two methods is required to achieve the perfect balance of oil quality and high yield. So, regardless of the specific type of oil that you want to extract, you should be thinking about how the price of the oil press machine will affect your bottom line.
Factors affecting the price of oil press machine
Oil press machine price varies based on a number of factors from production capacity and product quality to external market forces like the cost of stainless steel and logistics. Some estimates suggest that the price of an oil extraction machine for small business applications can start from as low as $500 and go up to $5,000. Meanwhile, the price of an oil press machine for commercial use – with sophisticated features and industrial-scale capacity – can range from $5,000 to $20,000 and even higher. But as you will see, it is hard to provide a single number for the oil press machine price because it is dependent on a variety of factors –
Capacity and throughput
How many tons per day (TPD) can the oil expeller machine process? The machine’s capacity and throughput will play a major role in determining its price. Naturally, given that all other factors are constant, oil expellers with higher capacities that can produce large quantities of oil in shorter durations will be on the expensive side.
Material quality
The cost of any good is dependent on the cost of the inputs that go into producing it. For oil expellers, the most important input is the raw material used for construction. For its durability, ease of maintaining hygiene, and superlative performance, manufacturers of oil expellers generally rely on stainless steel to make the body of the equipment. Sometimes, carbon steel can also serve as a viable alternative. Needless to say, these high-quality materials are expensive, with their prices also subject to market fluctuations. So, while the price of an oil press machine constructed using stainless steel will be on the higher side, that isn’t a bad thing. It is a necessity – you will be repaid in terms of high product quality, equipment durability and longevity, and ease of operations, repair, and maintenance.
Automation and technical complexity
Oil mills differ in terms of technological sophistication. This will affect their degree of complexity, mechanization, automation, and labour requirements. Automated machines may include cutting-edge features like digital control panels, automatic temperature control, built-in safety mechanisms, and integrated oil filters. Such advanced features – the results of intelligent design and craftsmanship – usually offer not only greater performance and yields but also improved user experience.
Investing in a sophisticated oil expeller with advanced features and automation will give you a higher level of efficiency. It goes without saying that compared to a traditional manually operated oil expeller, the price of an oil press machine for an automated setup or one with high complexity will reflect the costs of the tech and talent that went into making it.
Customization
Depending on the complexity of the customization you require, the price of an oil extraction machine for small business or commercial uses will vary immensely.
Brand reputation
When you buy a product, you are paying for more than just the product itself. Well-established brands that have made a name for themselves in the industry often charge a premium for the promise that comes with their name. This does not mean that the increase in oil press machine price that you bear is unnecessary – in fact, such reputed brands come with well-structured and efficient support in terms of pre-and after-sales service to troubleshoot technical difficulties, deal with AMCs, or warranties. In the long run, such comprehensive support helps you to easily overcome challenges related to production, which will help you circumvent expenses on repair and replacement in the long term.
The length of the supply chain
Where you buy your equipment from will affect the price of the oil press machine you want. For instance, if you source your oil mill machinery from a dealer, you are likely paying a markup over the manufacturer’s price to cover the dealer’s cost of operations and profit. Whenever possible, go straight to the expeller press manufacturer to get a competitive price.
Recommendations for first-time oil mill investors: The way to get the right oil press machine price
1. Research, research, and research: There is no way around conducting thorough market research. List all the oil processing machinery manufacturers who are active in your region. Understand what features their oil expellers boast, get quotations for different types of expeller machines, analyze what allied services and accessories will be available to you, and most critically, learn from the experiences of their prior customers – examine online reviews, testimonials, and when possible, as the manufacturer for references that you can speak directly to.
2. Do the math. If you’re struggling to assess where you should cap your budget for an oil expeller, do the math. Based on a particular machine’s production capacity, utility consumption, raw material requirements, and labour input – compared to the cost at which you will sell the extracted oil – how long will it take you to break even? If you have the means to finance operations until then, you’ve probably arrived at an appropriate budget.
3. All said and done, never make a decision based solely on the oil press machine price. Always prioritize quality, safety, and efficacy – if these match your standards and requirements, only then does price become a consideration.
You might find these interesting:
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Optimizing your Vegetable Oil Refinery: A Guide to Best Practices, Methods and Machinery
What does the price of oil expeller machines depend on?
Source: Email/GFMM
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