In the first part of the article, the main features of roll compactor design are reviewed. Then, the interaction between feeder and compact quality is demonstrated. For a given static gap (no load), the throughput of the press is only a function of the screw feeder speed no matter of the roller speed as long as compacted material is produced. Control of the gap is a good way to obtain compacts of the same quality when throughput is varied. The strong link of the stress distribution of the compact issued from a roll press fed by a single screw with the periodicity of the screw was demonstrated and explained. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.