Likely so that they can take the chain off easily to change the extruder die easier.
Sorry but I fail to believe that. By the looks of things there is double the slack that would be needed for that. But, if what you say is true, then it is a very poor design. A better design would be a spring loaded idler.
Changing the sprocket size will shorten or lengthen the pellet so I would say extra slack is for a larger sprocket that would result in a longer pellet.
The cutter that the sprocket drives is really under very little load so the slack is of very little concern.
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