[Problem to be Solved]

To provide a novel briquetting roll having excellent performance such as providing both abrasion resistance and spalling resistance, which can also be manufactured at low cost and in a short period of time, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[Means for Solving the Problem]

A briquetting roll 1 integrally has an inner layer material 4 and an outer layer material 5, which comprise mutually different materials and are in contact with each other at the respective exterior and interior thereof, and has pockets 6 formed at the outer circumference of the outer layer material 5. A chromium-molybdenum forged steel material is used for the inner layer material 4 and a high-carbon high-speed steel material is used for the outer layer material 5. The outer layer material 5 may be formed on the outside of the inner layer material 4 by a continuous pouring process.

An apparatus for producing hot briquetted iron and a method for producing hot briquetted iron using such an apparatus. The apparatus includes a briquetting press and a force feeder arrangement. The apparatus further includes a powder injection arrangement, the powder injection arrangement including a powder dosing unit and at least one injection line. The powder dosing unit is arranged to be able to dose powder at a predetermined rate to the at least one injection line. Each injection line extends from a line inlet to a line outlet. Each line inlet is arranged to be connectible to a source of pressurized carrier gas and each line outlet is arranged to be able to inject powder into a material supply tank of the force feeder arrangement.

Provided is a die roll for manufacturing softgels, a softgel, and methods for producing a softgel. The die roll includes a die roll surface and a pocket defined therein. The pocket includes a floor, an interior sidewall surface, a chamfer, and an exterior sidewall surface. The floor is recessed relative to the die roll surface and the interior sidewall surface is connected to the floor and extends above the die roll surface to the chamfer. The pocket also includes a landing surface that is elevated from the die role surface and connects the chamfer to the exterior sidewall surface of the pocket. The landing surface includes a taper (such that the landing surface tapers inwardly towards the pocket floor) and a radius (such that the landing surface is not flat). Also provided is a softgel having a trailing edge thickness that is at least about 40% the thickness of the softgel wall thickness.

A roller press comprising including a roller face defining a plurality of individual reliefs shaped and sized to compress feed material into a plurality of discrete briquettes, each of the individual reliefs defining a quadrilateral shaped depression having rounded corners to reduce stress concentrations in the resulting briquettes, wherein a pair of leading edge rounded corners are defined by a first radius and a pair of trailing edge rounded corners are defined by a second radius, the first radius being smaller than the second radius.