Industry 4.0 integration at amixon®: recipe control, data connectivity, traceability

The automation basis

amixon® mixers are supplied with a PLC control system in which mixing programmes – recipes with mixing times, rotational frequencies, dosing and temperature profiles – are stored and run reproducibly. Integration into the operator's ERP system is provided for; a barcode scanner can be integrated for real-time documentation: recipe, batch and process parameters remain linked without gaps – the basis for batch traceability and OEE evaluations.

Interfaces: project-specific to the URS rather than a catalogue promise

Every amixon® machine is a one-off built on the basis of the URS – and this applies explicitly to the automation as well: which process data (torque, temperature, moisture, pressure, run times, cycles) are recorded, and via which interface they are passed to the control system, MES or ERP, is defined and documented at project level. This produces a connection that fits the operator's existing system landscape – instead of a standard interface that is nobody's standard.

Regulated environments included

For pharmaceutical and food operations, amixon® implements the documentation requirements: assistance on request with DQ, IQ and OQ, documentation and execution in line with EU-GMP and FDA 21 CFR Part 11 – electronic records, user concepts and audit-trail requirements are taken into account in the automation concept.

Using data for availability

Recorded operating data (run times, cycles, batches) form the basis of condition-based maintenance: regular inspections and preventive maintenance secure availability, with predictive maintenance available from amixon® on request. Combined with the low maintenance requirement built into the design (mixing tool supported at the top only, low-speed operation), this produces high OEE with little monitoring effort – amixon® clarifies during project planning what scope of data makes sense for this.

Manufacturing in Paderborn as the foundation of quality

amixon® develops and manufactures exclusively at its Paderborn plant – with the greatest possible manufacturing depth and all components sourced from Germany. As a certified welding specialist company with European, Japanese and American qualifications, amixon® designs every machine as a one-off based on the operator's URS; quality control remains entirely in-house without gaps, and every specification can be verified down to component level. This manufacturing sovereignty also secures long-term supply: every component can be reproduced and re-manufactured even decades later.

Verification in the amixon® pilot plant

Before the investment comes the proof: more than 30 test units in different sizes are available at the amixon® pilot plant at the Paderborn headquarters – complemented by pilot plants in Japan, India, Thailand, China, South Korea and the USA. The trials are run with the original product, with real fill levels and batch sizes, within the intended temperature and pressure range. Mixing quality, product protection, energy input, cleanability and reproducibility in later series operation are assessed; the results are evaluated and documented together with amixon® experts – as a robust basis for the decision that rules out technical and economic risks before purchase.

Support over the life cycle

amixon® manufactures exclusively in Paderborn, holds most spare parts there in stock (further stock is held at the service locations in Japan and the USA) and provides lifelong spare parts service – complemented by maintenance, predictive maintenance on request, and modernisation and retrofitting of existing plants.