Challenge
Soybean processors were experiencing shorter-than-expected roll life during the soybean cracking stage, leading to more frequent change-outs and additional shutdown maintenance.
Solution
RMS provided Endurance Rolls for side-by-side testing against standard K00, K36, K70, and CPM Blue rolls under normal soybean production conditions.
Result
The trials showed that Endurance Rolls delivered longer reported roll life, higher bushels-to-change-out, and more consistent performance throughout the soybean cracking stage.
Overview: Comparing Roll Life in the Soybean Cracking Stage
Several soybean processors compared Endurance Rolls with standard rolls during the soybean cracking stage. The trials measured bushels to change out under normal production conditions.
The processors were looking for longer-lasting cracking rolls after seeing shorter-than-expected roll life in previous runs. They wanted to know whether Endurance Rolls could extend production between change-outs without affecting crack quality during the soybean cracking stage.
Challenge: Short Roll Life and Frequent Change-Outs
During the soybean cracking stage, rolls break soybeans into smaller pieces ahead of downstream separation and extraction processes. Crack consistency matters because excessive fines or inconsistent particle size can create problems later in production.
Many plants had already tested other forms of longer-lasting cracking rolls before these trials took place. Some alternatives improved roll life, but not enough for processors to expand them across additional plants.
Processors also needed rolls that maintain stable performance throughout extended production runs. Longer roll life alone was not enough if crack quality drifted or operators needed frequent adjustments as wear increased.
Solution: Side-by-Side Endurance Roll Trials
For these evaluations, processors installed Endurance Rolls primarily on Roskamp 16×84 double-pair cracking mills and tracked the total bushels processed before change-out.
The trials compared Endurance Rolls with standard K00, K36, K70, and CPM Blue rolls under normal operating conditions. Processors monitored bushels to change-out, crack consistency, adjustment frequency, and overall performance throughout the soybean cracking stage.
Result: Longer Runs and Reduced Maintenance Demands
Across multiple facilities, the trial data showed a clear performance gap between Endurance Rolls and the comparison rolls.
In the two direct comparisons against standard K00 rolls, Endurance Rolls processed roughly 23.8 million combined bushels compared to roughly 4 million bushels from the K00 rolls. That represents nearly six times longer reported roll life.
One site reported approximately 16.8 million bushels on Endurance Rolls compared to roughly 1.5 million bushels on standard K00 rolls.
Another operation reached approximately 7 million bushels compared to roughly 2.5 million bushels from the previous roll setup.
At the fourth site, Endurance Rolls exceeded the reported performance of K36, K70, and CPM Blue rolls during the soybean cracking stage. The first trial reached roughly 14.8 million bushels, while the current run is projected near 16 million bushels.
Consistent Performance Throughout the Run
Participating processors reported consistent crack quality, fewer adjustments, and less downtime tied to roll replacement. Maintenance teams also spent less time during shutdowns changing cracking rolls and more time addressing other scheduled maintenance work.
Operators noted that the rolls maintained stable performance deeper into the run rather than requiring frequent corrections as wear increased.
Performance Under Real Production Conditions
The trials gave processors a better picture of how the rolls performed throughout the full soybean cracking stage under normal production conditions, not just how long they lasted before change-out.
Every participating operation re-upped for Endurance Rolls after the trial period and expanded usage into additional facilities.
Why Bushels to Change-Out Matters
Hardness ratings are another metric processors consider when evaluating soybean cracking rolls, but hardness alone does not determine how a roll performs in production.
Wear resistance depends on several factors that are not independent of one another. Much like baking a cake, forgetting an ingredient, or having too much or too little of another, will drastically affect the outcome. Extending roll life works the same way. Ultimately, the true measurement of success is the number of bushels processed before a change-out in real-world conditions.
Reduce Roll Changes Without Sacrificing Crack Quality
RMS works with soybean processing facilities running both RMS and non-RMS mills. Our team supports cracking applications with roll servicing, field support, maintenance planning, and side-by-side roll testing under real operating conditions.
Processors can see how the soybean cracking rolls perform in production before expanding their use. RMS also provides application knowledge and field support for large-scale soybean milling operations.
Learn more about the RMS Endurance Roll Program or contact our team to schedule a trial against your current setup.
