Technical comparison
Gravity feed or auger: why a feeder jams
Un comedero automático se atasca casi siempre por lo mismo: la croqueta es más grande que el paso del tornillo sinfín que dosifica. Los comederos Producan no llevan sinfín —dosifican dejando caer el pienso por su propio peso, con un mecanismo de rotor con escobillas patentado—, y por eso admiten croqueta de cualquier tamaño y forma.
How an auger works
It's a metal or plastic spiral inside a tube. As it turns, it pushes the kibble towards the outlet. Each turn moves a known volume, and that's where the precision comes from: you can ask for «45 grams» and the motor counts the turns.
The problem is geometric. The gap between the spiral and the wall of the tube is calculated for kibble of one particular size. With larger kibble, or an irregular shape — lamb and rice kibble tends to be flat and wide — the piece wedges on edge between the spiral and the tube and the motor stops turning. Sometimes the cut-out trips; sometimes the motor keeps forcing until it breaks.
How gravity feed works
El depósito termina en una boca ancha con una rotor con escobillas. El programador la abre el tiempo justo y el pienso cae solo, por gravedad. No hay nada girando, no hay ningún paso estrecho y no hay ninguna pieza que pueda quedarse trabada contra otra.
What you lose is precision: the serving is set by opening time, so two feeds can differ by a few grams. What you gain is that it doesn't fail, which is what matters when the unit has to run on its own for three weeks.
The two systems, side by side
| auger | Gravity feed (Producan) | |
|---|---|---|
| Serving precision | High, by grams | Medium, by opening time |
| Kibble size | Limited, whatever the maker sets | Any |
| Risk of jamming | Yes, it's its typical fault | No narrow passage to jam in |
| Moving parts | Motor, spiral and gearbox | Gate |
| Typical use | Indoors, small or medium dog | Outdoors, medium or large dog |
Which one suits you?
Si el perro come una ración medida al gramo por indicación del veterinario y el comedero va dentro de casa, el sinfín es el sistema correcto y nosotros no vendemos eso. Si el comedero va a estar en un patio o una finca alimentando a un perro grande durante semanas seguidas, lo que no puede pasar es que se atasque, y ahí nuestro sistema de rotor gana sin discusión.
It's summed up in the guide to choosing an automatic dog feeder.