How can a manufacturer support recipe development and process optimisation in the pilot plant?
In the pilot plant, a manufacturer acts as the link between laboratory and production scale, supporting the development, assessment and optimisation of formulations and processes. The aim is to obtain sound data under conditions close to production, to reduce scale-up risks and to make subsequent series production safer, more economical and more reproducible.
Support with formulation development
- Formulation trials: systematic testing of different compositions, frequently with the aid of Design of Experiments (DoE) for efficient variation of the relevant parameters.
- Characterisation of the formulation: determination of key parameters such as viscosity, density, pH value, solids content, stability, mixing behaviour and thermal behaviour.
- Assessment of transferability: analysis of how well a laboratory formulation can be transferred to production scale, taking heat transfer, residence time, mass transport and mixing intensity into account.
Support with process optimisation
- Parameter optimisation: determination of optimal process parameters such as temperature, pressure, speed, dosing rates, agitation behaviour and reaction times.
- Scale-up support: guidance through the technical transfer of scale from pilot plant to production, including assessment of critical process parameters and process-related differences.
- Simulation of conditions close to production: reproduction of industrial process steps at reduced scale, in order to identify bottlenecks, quality fluctuations and energy inefficiencies at an early stage.
- Plant engineering advice: recommendations on the selection of units, tool geometry, degree of automation, instrumentation and peripherals.
The added value of pilot plant work
- Documentation and reproducibility: complete recording of the trials as a basis for quality assurance, knowledge retention and later standardisation.
- Faster development: shorter development times through structured trial planning and targeted data acquisition.
- Risk minimisation: fewer failed batches, production stoppages and scale-up problems.
- Improved quality and cost-effectiveness: better product quality, process stability and resource efficiency.
- Knowledge transfer: handover of technical recommendations and training of the production team for practical implementation.
The amixon® pilot plant: trials, scale-up and process optimisation with the original product
Trials from laboratory to pilot scale
At its headquarters in Paderborn, amixon® operates a pilot plant with 35 test units in various sizes – from laboratory scale through to pilot plant. Processes can thus be reproduced realistically, even where only limited quantities of product are available. This produces sound conclusions for the later production scale. Further pilot plants are available in Japan, India, Thailand, China, South Korea and the USA.
Real conditions instead of paper values
The pilot plant investigates mixing processes such as mixing, homogenising, granulating, agglomerating, moistening and coating, as well as drying and reaction processes such as vacuum drying, thermal processes and syntheses. The trials are carried out with the original product, within the intended temperature and pressure range, with real fill levels, batch sizes and the planned energy input. Mixing quality, product protection, energy demand, cleanability and reproducibility in later series operation are all assessed.
Frequently an existing mixing plant that is no longer available has to be replaced. In such cases the new plant must meet at least the previous quality requirements – ideally with an additional advantage in efficiency or hygiene. This is where amixon® brings its process engineering experience specifically to bear.
Joint execution and documented results
The trials are planned, carried out and evaluated together with amixon® specialists. The aim is to select the optimal apparatus and the appropriate process parameters for the specific application – including formulation development and process optimisation. The result is a sound basis for the decision: confirmation of the process parameters under real conditions, assurance of product quality and cost-effectiveness, and minimisation of technical and economic risks ahead of the investment.
Seamless transition into production
Trial and production mixers work on the same mixing principle, for example with the SinConcave®/SinConvex® helical mixing tool, fill-level-independent mixing quality and adjustable circumferential speeds in the region of approximately 0.8 to 3.5 m/s. Sizes are available in 100-litre increments up to 50,000 litres, and Gyraton® silo mixers blend batches of up to 100 m³. The parameters determined in the pilot plant can therefore be transferred directly to the target machine. Even after commissioning, amixon® provides support with scale-up, product changes and further process optimisation.
Manufacture in Paderborn as the quality foundation
amixon® develops and manufactures exclusively at the Paderborn works – with a high degree of in-house manufacture and components sourced predominantly in Germany. As a certified welding specialist with European, Japanese, Korean and American qualifications, every apparatus is designed as a one-off on the basis of the operator's URS. Quality control is carried out in-house without gaps, and specifications are documented traceably down to component level. This manufacturing autonomy also secures long-term supply, since every component remains reproducible for decades.
Service across the entire life cycle
After commissioning, amixon® supports the operator throughout the entire service life of the plant. Regular inspections and preventive maintenance increase availability; condition-based and predictive maintenance concepts are available on request. Important wear parts are supplied with the initial delivery, and further spare parts are held in Paderborn and at service bases in Japan and the USA. A lifelong spare parts service is thus possible – even where the original suppliers are no longer available. Many amixon® plants have been in daily use for more than 30 years and are kept continuously up to the current state of the art through modernisation and retrofitting.