How long does a product changeover typically take in a CIP-capable conical mixer for food applications?
In food production, the product changeover time in a CIP-capable conical mixer depends strongly on the type of product, the allergen status, the hygiene requirements and the degree of automation of the cleaning. There is no uniform figure; in practice, changeovers often lie in the range of approximately 15 to 240 minutes, depending on the extent of discharge, CIP, drying and release.
Typical time ranges
- Simple product change within a product family: approximately 15 to 60 minutes, where good residual discharge and a short rinse or dry cleaning are sufficient.
- Standard CIP with wet cleaning: approximately 60 to 120 minutes, depending on the recipe, the soiling and the cleaning programme.
- Allergen-related or critical formulation change: frequently 90 to 240 minutes or longer, because inspection, documentation and release are also necessary.
- With a drying phase: depending on the product, an additional 30 to 90 minutes may be required, and more with hygroscopic or moisture-sensitive powders.
What determines the time
The duration is influenced above all by residual discharge, CIP design, drying, cleaning validation and product sensitivity. Hygienic design, minimal dead spaces, good accessibility and suitable spray technology shorten the changeover time markedly.
A practical view
For food applications, a product changeover is therefore usually not pure cleaning time but the sum of discharge, cleaning, drying, inspection and release. The better the conical mixer is designed for CIP and rapid discharge, the more likely the changeover is to remain at the lower end of this range.
How short the product changeover is in the CIP-capable amixon® conical mixer
In a CIP-capable conical mixer, the product changeover time depends strongly on the product, the allergen status, the cleaning regime and the drying requirement. At amixon®, the changeover always begins with almost complete discharge, because high residual discharge immediately reduces the cleaning effort.
Typical sequence in hygienic food applications
Residual discharge
Free-flowing materials can be discharged in amixon® mixers to 99.997 % and better. The less product remains in the mixer, the lower the cleaning time, the water consumption and the detergent requirement.
Wet cleaning / WIP
Programmable target-jet nozzles or WaterDragon® systems wet the mixing chamber and the mixing tools. The washing phase can take place automatically or manually as washing-in-place. Rotating washing nozzles improve wetting; droplet size and droplet velocity additionally influence the washing efficiency.
Drying
After wet cleaning, the water must drain completely. Drying is accelerated by warm air and a large opening to the mixing chamber; in the final phase, opening the inspection doors is advisable.
Why dry cleaning is often preferred
In mixing operations for dry materials, water is avoided as far as possible, because moisture can impair the powder quality, particularly with hygroscopic products. The aim is therefore frequently to clean as dry as possible or, with a suitable product sequence, to dispense with wet cleaning entirely. This is realistic above all where the mixer discharges very well, the following batch has similar formulation constituents and the design is hygienic.
When wet cleaning remains indispensable
Nevertheless, many food applications cannot manage without wet cleaning, for example with vitamin-related or allergen-related formulations, intensely coloured or strongly aromatic products and sensitive applications such as nutrient mixtures for enteral nutrition. In such cases, validatable wet cleaning is important in order to avoid residues, odour transfer and cross-contamination.
Practical order of magnitude
For a 2 m³ batch, pure wet cleaning can be in the range of minutes; including drying and ancillary times, very short downtimes are possible where the product and the cleaning strategy are suitable. In practice, however, the actual product changeover time always depends on the product and should be validated in advance with the original product.
Trials in Paderborn
In Paderborn, amixon® offers the possibility of carrying out mixing, wetting, discharge, residual discharge and dry and wet cleaning trials directly in the 2 m³ mixer. Real changeover times, cleaning regimes and drying concepts can thus be tested under near-production conditions and used as a robust basis for OEE planning and investment decisions.