Steam-Flaked Corn Production Line for Ruminant Feed

A steam-flaked corn production line can be configured around your target output, daily operating hours, existing facilities, and plans for future expansion.

Different project sizes call for different equipment combinations, building space, and utility requirements, including steam and electrical supply.

Capacity Note: The capacities above are rated at a corn flake thickness of 1.2–1.5 mm. Thicker flakes allow higher throughput. Please contact BellaEx to confirm the capacity for your required flake thickness.

These capacities provide a starting point for estimating project scale, but TPH alone does not determine the final production line configuration.

Not Sure What Hourly Capacity You Need?

You can start by telling our sales team three things:

• Target daily output
• Planned operating hours per day
• Whether you plan to expand production in the future
• With these details, we can help you determine a suitable initial production capacity before moving on to equipment and system configuration.

Do You Need a Large Production Line or a Smaller Farm Solution?

The solutions covered on this page are primarily intended for larger steam-flaked corn production projects.

If you need a 1–2 TPH line for on-farm use, BellaEx also offers the more compact HIO Farm-Scale Integrated Solution. Developed for smaller operations with tighter budgets, HIO can significantly reduce upfront project investment while meeting on-farm production needs.

Explore the HIO Farm-Scale Solution →

Learn More About BellaEx →

If you are planning a new steam-flaked corn production line, BellaEx can provide a complete turnkey EPC solution, from raw corn intake to finished-product handling.

This covers the main process stages, including cleaning, conveying, moisture addition and soaking, steam conditioning, flaking, drying and cooling, and finished-product handling. We can also coordinate equipment configuration, plant layout, installation, commissioning, and production start-up.

If your feed mill or farm already has raw corn storage, cleaning equipment, conveying systems, boilers, or downstream facilities—or if you have an operating steam-flaking line—we can work with what is already in place.

Based on the condition of your existing equipment, target capacity, available building space, and connections between process stages, BellaEx can help identify which parts should be added, upgraded, or replaced.

Only Need to Replace the Flaking Mill?

If your facility already has the necessary conditioning, conveying, and downstream handling systems, and you only need to add or replace the main flaking equipment, you can explore our Corn Flaking Mill range directly.

Explore BellaEx Corn Flaking Mills →

Get to Know BellaEx

Learn more about our manufacturing facilities, engineering team, and project experience.

A steam-flaked corn production line brings together several connected systems to turn raw corn into finished flakes.

The process flow below shows how corn moves through the line. The following sections introduce the main equipment used at each stage.

Steam flaking involves more than feeding dry corn directly into a flaking mill.

Raw corn first goes through cleaning, moisture addition, and soaking. It is then steam-conditioned and rolled into flakes. After flaking, the material passes through drying, cooling, and finished-product handling.

Each stage prepares the corn for the next part of the process.

Main Process Flow

Raw Corn → Cleaning → Moisture Addition & Soaking → Steam Conditioning → Flaking → Drying & Cooling → Finished-Product Handling

The material conveying system connects the different stages throughout the line, while the automation system coordinates the operation of the main equipment.

Cleaning is the first processing stage. Before raw corn enters moisture preparation and steam conditioning, impurities mixed with the grain need to be removed.

Different types of impurities require different cleaning methods. Depending on your raw corn quality, BellaEx can combine screening, magnetic separation, air separation, destoning, and dust collection to remove large and small impurities, iron particles, husks, dust, and stones.

Once cleaned, the corn moves through the conveying system to the next stage, where moisture addition, soaking, and steam conditioning prepare it for flaking.

Main Cleaning Equipment

• Vibrating Screen:

Removes large and small impurities from the incoming grain.

• Permanent Magnetic Separator:

Removes iron particles and other ferrous contaminants.

• Recirculating Air Separator:

Separates light impurities such as husks and dust.

• Gravity Destoner:

Removes stones and other heavy impurities from the grain.

• Cyclone Dust Collector:

Handles dust generated during the cleaning process.

The material conveying system forms the backbone of a steam-flaked corn production line, connecting the different processing stages throughout the plant.

Because equipment is installed at different heights, with different inlet and outlet positions, a line usually needs a combination of vertical lifting, horizontal conveying, and material distribution.

BellaEx can arrange the conveying equipment around your building layout, production capacity, and process flow to keep materials moving between the different stages.

Main Conveying Equipment

• Bucket Elevator:

Lifts corn and other materials vertically to equipment or bins at different heights.

• Drag Conveyor:

Transfers materials horizontally between equipment and processing stages.

• Screw Conveyor:

Provides continuous material transfer between processing points and equipment connections.

• Material Distributor:

Directs material to different machines or storage bins as required by the process layout.

After cleaning, the corn goes through moisture preparation and soaking before entering the steam-conditioning stage. These steps gradually prepare the kernels for rolling.

Moisture addition and soaking prepare the corn's moisture condition, while the conditioning tower uses steam to further heat and cook the kernels. The conditioned corn then enters the FC Corn Flaking Mill for the next stage of processing.

BellaEx configures the soaking and steam-conditioning equipment according to the incoming corn moisture, target capacity, and planned operating schedule.

Main Conditioning Equipment

• Hot Water Tank:

Supplies hot water for the corn moisture addition and soaking process.

• Soaking Bin:

Holds moistened corn during soaking before it enters steam conditioning.

• Steam Conditioning Tower:

Uses steam to condition the corn before transferring it to the flaking section.

After steam conditioning, the corn reaches the main flaking section of the production line.

The BellaEx FC Corn Flaking Mill feeds conditioned corn evenly between two rolls, where the kernels are flattened into flakes. The flakes then move to the downstream drying and cooling system.

The flaking section is configured according to your target throughput, finished-flake requirements, and upstream and downstream process conditions.

Core Equipment: BellaEx FC Corn Flaking Mill

The main rolling equipment for producing flakes from steam-conditioned corn.

Depending on the project configuration, additional feeding and material-handling components can be integrated with the FC Corn Flaking Mill.

Explore BellaEx Corn Flaking Mill Models and Specifications →

Freshly flaked corn needs further drying and cooling before it moves to finished-product storage or packaging.

In this section, the dryer-cooler receives the flakes from the flaking mill. Heat exchangers and fans work alongside the main equipment to provide the heat exchange and airflow needed for downstream processing.

Main Drying and Cooling Equipment

• Dryer-Cooler:

Handles the drying and cooling of freshly flaked corn.

• Heat Exchanger:

Transfers heat to the air used in the drying process.

• Fans and Airflow Equipment:

Supply the airflow needed for drying, cooling, and related air-handling systems.

After drying and cooling, steam-flaked corn reaches the final handling stage.

The next steps depend on how you plan to use, store, or deliver the finished product.

For bagged delivery, flakes can pass through final screening, weighing, and packaging before storage or transport. For bulk handling, the product can move directly into the appropriate storage and conveying systems.

Main Finished-Product Handling Equipment

• Finished-Product Screen:

Screens the finished flakes before packaging or storage.

• Bagging Scale:

Weighs finished product for bagging and connects with downstream packaging equipment.

Automatic bag sewing, palletizing, or bulk storage systems can also be added according to your finished-product handling requirements.

The automation system connects the main processing stages, helping operators coordinate equipment operation across the line.

Cleaning, conveying, conditioning, flaking, drying and cooling, and finished-product handling equipment can be brought together through the configured control system.

Operators can start and stop relevant equipment, monitor operating status, and coordinate different process sections. Computer-based and manual control options can be configured according to project requirements.

BellaEx can plan the control system around your production capacity, equipment combination, and automation needs.

Automation and Control Equipment

• Automation Control System:

Uses PLC, electrical controls, and operator interfaces to manage and monitor the main production equipment.

Beyond the main production equipment, a steam-flaked corn line can include other supporting systems depending on your site utilities, raw corn storage arrangements, and finished-product handling requirements.

Raw Corn Storage and Moisture Management

If your project requires centralized raw corn storage and a continuous material supply, grain silos can be included. A dedicated moisture addition system can also be provided where more controlled water addition is required.

• Raw Corn Silos:

Store raw corn and support a continuous supply to the production line.

• Moisture Addition System:

Controls water addition before processing based on factors such as incoming grain moisture and material flow.

Steam Supply and Plant Utilities

Steam supply, piping, insulation, and compressed-air systems can be planned around your existing site conditions. For a new plant, these supporting systems can be considered as part of the overall project.

• Steam Boiler:

Supplies steam for conditioning and related processing stages.

• Steam Piping and Valves:

Distribute and control steam between the supply source and production equipment.

• Compressed Air System:

Supplies compressed air to equipment requiring pneumatic control.

• Equipment Insulation:

Reduces heat loss from equipment and piping, including conditioning towers and steam lines.

• Condensate Recovery System:

Collects condensate from the steam system for appropriate recovery and reuse.

Packaging, Storage, and Dispatch

Additional equipment can be included if your line needs bagged delivery, automatic palletizing, or bulk finished-product storage.

• Automatic Bag Sewing System:

Transfers and closes filled bags during packaging.

• Automatic Palletizing System:

Stacks packaged product for downstream storage and transport.

• Bulk Finished-Product Storage Bin:

Stores steam-flaked corn in bulk for later handling or delivery.

These supporting systems can be combined according to your production scale, existing facilities, and agreed project scope.

Planning a steam-flaked corn production line also means considering the steam supply, electrical power, water supply, and building space available at your site.

If you already have a building or feed-processing facilities, BellaEx can plan the line around those existing conditions. For a new project, the required utilities and supporting infrastructure can be considered from the process-planning stage.

Steam and Heat Supply

Steam is mainly used for corn conditioning. You may be able to use an existing boiler or another steam source, or include a new boiler and steam supply system in the project. The available steam flow and pressure must match the process requirements.

Electrical Power

The flaking mill, conveying equipment, fans, dryer-cooler, and automation system all require electrical power. The overall equipment configuration needs to be considered when checking the site's available power supply.

Water Supply

Moisture addition and soaking require a reliable water supply. Water demand depends on incoming corn moisture, target capacity, and process configuration.

Building Space and Layout

The length, width, and height of the building all affect how the equipment can be arranged.

In existing projects, vertical layouts have been used to connect steam conditioning, flaking, and drying and cooling stages, reducing unnecessary intermediate conveying. Building height is therefore an important consideration when planning the line.

If you already have a building, sharing its floor plan and available height will help us assess equipment installation and connections between processing stages.

The following figures come from an existing 10 TPH steam-flaked corn line design reference. They can help you understand the approximate steam, water, and building-space requirements during early project planning.

Actual requirements will depend on local ambient temperature, operating hours, building layout, drying and cooling arrangements, and any planned future expansion.

If your project is close to this production scale, these figures can serve as a starting point for discussing a suitable plant layout and utility configuration.

BellaEx can provide turnkey EPC solutions according to your project needs, from process planning, core equipment manufacturing, and supporting-system integration to on-site installation, commissioning, and production start-up.

Project Requirements & Site Review → Process Planning & Equipment Configuration → Manufacturing & Supporting Equipment Supply → Installation, Commissioning & Handover

Whether you are building a new line or upgrading existing facilities, the final equipment supply and engineering service scope can be defined in the project proposal.

BellaEx has worked on steam-flaked corn projects of different sizes and site conditions, from production lines serving livestock farms to larger industrial installations and upgrades within existing buildings.

Here are three examples of our project experience.

Explore More BellaEx Projects →

China · 2017 · 5 TPH

BellaEx built a 5 TPH steam-flaked corn production line for Wens Group to supply its farms. The project included key processing stages such as steam conditioning, corn flaking, and drying and cooling.

View the Wens Group Project →

Inner Mongolia, China · 10 TPH · 2023 Project Reference

BellaEx worked with Modern Dairy on a 10 TPH steam-flaked corn production line in Inner Mongolia, supplying steam-flaked corn for internal feed use across six dairy farms.

The project covered line design, equipment manufacturing, on-site installation, and commissioning, with construction and handover completed in approximately one year.

View the Modern Dairy Project →

Inner Mongolia, China · 2025–2026 · 2 × 10 TPH

This project involved upgrading an existing production facility rather than building an entirely new plant.

BellaEx planned and integrated two 10 TPH steam-flaked corn lines around the available building space and existing facilities. The project covered raw material preparation, steam conditioning, flaking, drying and cooling, packing, and palletizing, together with commissioning and production start-up support.

View the Xin Dalu Project →

7If you are planning a new steam-flaked corn production line, or looking to expand or upgrade an existing one, get in touch with the BellaEx team to discuss your project.

To get started, you can share three basic details:

• Production Requirements: Your target daily output and planned operating hours per day.
• Project Conditions: Is this a new plant or an upgrade? Do you already have a building, processing equipment, or steam supply?
• Finished-Product Requirements: How do you plan to use, store, or deliver the steam-flaked corn? You can also share your target flake thickness, if known.
• If you already have a plant layout, an existing equipment list, or preliminary process requirements, you can share those with us during the discussion.
• Based on your needs, BellaEx can help you explore a suitable production capacity, equipment configuration, and engineering approach, then move toward equipment selection and quotation.

TALK TO AN ENGINEER

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Modern Dairy Project Case

Chengkai Group Project Case

Case Study Compilation Video

Production Line Shipment Reference

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A 10tph steam flaked corn line project case

(10 t/h) for Ningxia State Farms Grain Group

One-Take Walkthrough

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