Processing line
Pet food processing and filling line
Plants for wet pet food: recipe preparation, dosing into cans, trays or retort pouches, seaming, sterilising and end-of-line packaging.
For customers
How to order
1. Request
Tell us product, pack format, hourly capacity and installation country.
2. Technical offer
Preliminary layout, scope of supply and price based on real sizing.
3. Contract
Order confirmation, payment plan and delivery schedule.
4. Delivery and installation
Worldwide shipping, assembly, commissioning and on-site training.
Have ready: product and format, target capacity, country, desired timing.
Lead times and terms are set in the offer, depending on the configuration.
Price on request, quoted on real sizing.
Official description
Official line description
Complete pet food processing line for wet and dry pet food — cooking, dosing, seaming and retort pouch or can packaging.
EN · Compare configurations
Pet food processing line — wet & dry, can & pouch: choose the right configuration
Benchmark 3 tiers before requesting a quote
Pet food processing lines for wet and dry recipes — cooking, dosing, seaming and retort sterilisation of cans and pouches.
Regional wet pet food
Compact
- Capacity
- 1 – 3 t/h wet product
- Formats
- Cans 85 – 400 g, single format
- Automation level
- Semi-automatic · operator-assisted · single-PLC control
- Key equipment
- Mixer + cooker + can filler + seamer + retort
- Lead time
- 5 – 7 months ex-works
- Ideal for
- Private-label wet food producers.
Most requested
Wet + pouch multi-format
Industrial
- Capacity
- 3 – 8 t/h wet product
- Formats
- Cans + retort pouch 70 – 300 g
- Automation level
- Fully automatic · Siemens/Rockwell PLC · SCADA supervision
- Key equipment
- Automatic filler + seamer + pouch former + retort towers
- Lead time
- 7 – 10 months ex-works + on-site commissioning
- Ideal for
- Established pet food brands.
Export pet food plant
Turnkey Plant
- Capacity
- 8 – 20 t/h wet product
- Formats
- Full wet and dry + multi-SKU premium range
- Automation level
- Full plant automation · SCADA + MES · OEE and traceability ready
- Key equipment
- Full plant: recipe management, extrusion, retort, MES
- Lead time
- 10 – 14 months turnkey delivery + startup
- Ideal for
- Global pet food groups.
| Compact | Industrial | Turnkey Plant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 1 – 3 t/h wet product | 3 – 8 t/h wet product | 8 – 20 t/h wet product |
| Formats | Cans 85 – 400 g, single format | Cans + retort pouch 70 – 300 g | Full wet and dry + multi-SKU premium range |
| Automation level | Semi-automatic · operator-assisted · single-PLC control | Fully automatic · Siemens/Rockwell PLC · SCADA supervision | Full plant automation · SCADA + MES · OEE and traceability ready |
| Key equipment | Mixer + cooker + can filler + seamer + retort | Automatic filler + seamer + pouch former + retort towers | Full plant: recipe management, extrusion, retort, MES |
| Lead time | 5 – 7 months ex-works | 7 – 10 months ex-works + on-site commissioning | 10 – 14 months turnkey delivery + startup |
| Ideal for | Private-label wet food producers. | Established pet food brands. | Global pet food groups. |
Ranges reflect the MCF Technology brochure envelope. Final capacity, formats and automation are engineered on the buyer's product, utilities and site conditions.
Installation & operation
How to install and operate the pet food processing line — wet & dry, can & pouch: step-by-step procedure
The operating sequence MCF Technology follows to install, commission and start up the pet food processing line — wet & dry, can & pouch, through to daily operation and planned maintenance. Delivery, erection and on-site service are included worldwide.
Indicative total duration: about 35 working days on site.
~2 days
1. Site survey and utilities check
Technical survey on the layout of the pet food processing line — wet & dry, can & pouch: passage heights, flooring and drains, maintenance clearances and availability of steam for cooking, compressed air, dust extraction and power supply for extrusion or cooking. The final list of customer-side preparations is handed over.
~3 days
2. Shipment, receiving and positioning of the modules
Worldwide delivery with sea-freight or road packing, unloading and positioning of the modules (Raw material reception, grinding and emulsifying, Cooking and dosing into containers, Seaming/heat sealing and retort) on the areas foreseen by the layout, checking the packing list and the condition of the components.
~14 days
3. Mechanical assembly and piping
Assembly of the units, conveyor alignment, hygienic welding of the stainless-steel piping and installation of valves and instruments according to the P&ID, supervised on site by MCF Technology technicians.
~4 days
4. Utility hook-ups and electrical connections
Connection of steam for cooking, compressed air, dust extraction and power supply for extrusion or cooking, wiring of the electrical cabinet and PLC, earthing, HMI configuration and process recipes.
~3 days
5. Sanitation, CIP and dry runs
Washing and passivation of the product-contact surfaces, CIP circuit verification with flow, temperature and detergent-concentration control, tightness tests and dry-run cycles on all modules.
~4 days
6. Functional commissioning and process trials
recipe trial with moisture and kibble-size verification, dosing-unit calibration and packaging test on the planned formats. Trials are run with the customer's real product and recorded in the commissioning report.
~5 days
7. Production start-up and staff training
Assisted start-up with continuous production, training of operators and maintenance staff on HMI, format changeover, safety and sanitation, handover of manuals and drawings in the agreed language.
ongoing
8. Daily operation and planned maintenance
Daily operation with cooking moisture and temperature, portion weight and seal integrity. Planned maintenance: screw and extrusion-worm checks, doser cleaning and sealing-bar inspection. On-site and remote service with critical spare parts agreed in the quotation.
- Daily process controls: cooking moisture and temperature, portion weight and seal integrity.
- Planned maintenance: screw and extrusion-worm checks, doser cleaning and sealing-bar inspection.
- Parameter recording and batch traceability through the HMI/PLC.
- End-of-shift CIP sanitation following the procedures handed over at start-up.
- On-site and remote technical service with critical spare-parts management.
Customer-side preparations
- steam for cooking, compressed air, dust extraction and power supply for extrusion or cooking
- Industrial flooring with drains and passage heights compliant with the layout
- Real product for yield trials and commissioning
- Production and maintenance staff to be trained during start-up
Modules involved in the erection
- Raw material reception, grinding and emulsifying
- Cooking and dosing into containers
- Seaming/heat sealing and retort
- Secondary packaging, VFFS for dry food, palletising
Durations and activities are indicative: the erection, commissioning and training plan is defined in the quotation after the site survey and line sizing. No figure is a contractual performance.
FAQ · English
Frequently asked questions — Pet food processing line — wet & dry, can & pouch
Technical answers for buyers researching pet food processing line — wet & dry, can & pouch — engineered by MCF Technology & SGE Italy, installed worldwide.
Can the pet food processing line handle both wet and dry recipes?
The cooking, dosing and packaging sections are format-specific. Wet pet food uses cooker + retort autoclave; dry pet food uses extrusion + drying. MCF sizes each line independently in the same plant.
See also: Water bottling line — turnkey PET filling plant Beer bottling line — PET, glass and can filling Spirits and liquor bottling line
Which retort pouch formats does the pet food canning line support?
70 g single-serve up to 500 g family-size, in 3-side or 4-side sealed pouches with zip closure. Static and rotary retort autoclaves are sized on the target throughput.
See also: Water bottling line — turnkey PET filling plant Beer bottling line — PET, glass and can filling Spirits and liquor bottling line
What sterilization profile is used for wet pet food?
F₀ 6–12 depending on can or pouch geometry and recipe (typically 118–121 °C for 40–90 min). MCF validates the profile on the customer's product during commissioning.
See also: Water bottling line — turnkey PET filling plant Beer bottling line — PET, glass and can filling Spirits and liquor bottling line
Is the pet food processing line compliant with EU regulations?
Yes. Equipment is designed to comply with Regulation (EC) 1069/2009 on animal by-products and Regulation (EC) 767/2009 on feed for animals; export documentation is issued in English by default.
See also: Water bottling line — turnkey PET filling plant Beer bottling line — PET, glass and can filling Spirits and liquor bottling line
What throughput can be achieved on an industrial pet food canning line?
From 3,000 cans/h for craft brands up to 30,000 cans/h and 15,000 pouches/h on high-speed industrial lines.
See also: Water bottling line — turnkey PET filling plant Beer bottling line — PET, glass and can filling Spirits and liquor bottling line
How is dry pet food shaped and dried on the extrusion line?
A twin-screw extruder cooks the recipe at 120–140 °C and shapes it through a die-cutter; the kibble then travels through a multi-pass belt dryer at 90–110 °C and a vacuum fat-coater before packaging.
See also: Water bottling line — turnkey PET filling plant Beer bottling line — PET, glass and can filling Spirits and liquor bottling line
Request · English
Get a quote or the technical datasheet — Pet food processing line — wet & dry, can & pouch
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FAQ · English
Frequently asked questions
What is the typical lead time for a turnkey MCF processing line?
6 to 10 months from purchase order to hot commissioning for standard equipment, and 10 to 14 months for turnkey plants including plant engineering and piping. MCF locks the schedule in the contract with FAT milestones in Italy before shipment.
What after-sales service and spare parts does MCF provide worldwide?
Annual service contract with preventive on-site maintenance, a critical spare-parts kit shipped with the equipment (valves, seals, bearings), secure VPN remote diagnostics on the line PLC and on-site intervention SLA within 72 hours worldwide. Operator training is included in the commissioning scope.
Does MCF support 6-year financing for the food processing equipment?
Yes. MCF offers a dedicated 6-year Financial Plan Studio (leasing, bank financing, 4.0 tax credit where applicable, SACE export credit for projects outside the EU) and pairs the buyer with a ROI simulator built on CAPEX, OPEX and finished-product selling price.