Which training and piloting services support a sound investment decision in new mixing technology?
A sound investment decision in new mixing technology rests above all on pilot-plant trials, pilot facilities, training and process engineering consultancy. What is decisive is that real products, realistic operating conditions and later production are brought together at an early stage.
1. Feasibility studies and pilot-plant trials
Pilot-plant and laboratory trials are the most important basis for examining mixing quality, product protection, energy input and scalability in advance. Typical content includes rheology, particle size distribution, homogeneity, temperature behaviour and the shear sensitivity of the product.
Trials with original products and real process parameters are particularly valuable, because technical risks and planning errors can be recognised early in this way.
2. Pilot facilities and rental/test units
Pilot facilities at semi-technical scale show whether a process also runs stably under conditions close to production. Process windows, cleanability, material compatibility, wear and integration into dosing, filling or filtration can be assessed in the process.
Depending on the supplier there are also mobile test stations, rental units or on-site trials at the customer's premises, in order to simulate later operation as realistically as possible.
3. Training and courses
Technical training helps to understand the new mixing technology correctly and to assess it properly. Good programmes cover mixing fundamentals, agitator elements, process windows, maintenance, CIP/SIP, hygienic design, ATEX and quality assurance.
This is important because the investment decision depends not only on data, but also on whether operation, maintenance and process management will later be mastered reliably.
4. Scale-up and process engineering consultancy
Well-founded process engineering consultancy transfers the laboratory and pilot-plant data to an industrial scale. Laws of similarity, energy input, heat transfer, flow regime and mixing time are taken into account so that product quality and throughput are later achieved reproducibly.
This reduces the risk that a process successful in the pilot plant deviates unexpectedly at production scale.
5. Digital support and references
Simulations, digital models and reference visits complement physical piloting. They help to assess dead zones, energy distribution, maintenance effort and typical fault patterns better.
Reference plants in particular supply valuable practical data on OEE, cleaning effort and TCO and make manufacturers' claims more comparable.
What secures the decision
An investment decision becomes particularly robust where the supplier:
- Offers trials with original products.
- Provides several sizes or pilot stages.
- Conducts training for operators, process engineers and maintenance staff.
- Summarises technical and economic risks in a documented trial report.
Knowledge transfer at amixon®: commissioning, support and piloting
Transfer of knowledge from the first idea to reliable operation
amixon® accompanies projects from commissioning through piloting to ongoing process optimisation. The aim is not merely to supply the technology, but to master it together with the operator so that product quality, availability and cleanability are reliably achieved in everyday operation.
Commissioning as a joint process
Assembly and commissioning take place in close coordination with the operator. Operating and maintenance knowledge is built up directly on the real plant, from the running of the mixing programs through cleaning regimes to inspection points.
The construction is designed for low maintenance: a mixing tool supported at the top, low-speed operation and few wear parts make operation easier; large inspection doors provide ergonomic access to the product-contact areas.
Piloting in the pilot plant as investment assurance
The amixon® pilot plants come before the investment. At the Paderborn headquarters alone, 35 test units are available; this is complemented by pilot plants in Japan, India, Thailand, China, South Korea and the USA.
The trials run with the original product, at real fill levels and under the intended temperature and pressure conditions. Together with amixon® experts, the results are evaluated and documented so that process parameters can be secured and the appropriate apparatus selected.
Support during ongoing operation
Even after commissioning, amixon® remains the point of contact for product changes, scale-up, process optimisation and preventive maintenance. On request, retrofits, inspections and service-oriented optimisations are also supported.
Knowledge is thereby not handed over merely once, but made available across the entire life cycle of the plant.
Consultancy with direct practical relevance
The consultancy is focused on the specific application, from the product idea to the process engineering solution. Through the close connection of design, manufacture and pilot plant in Paderborn, requirements can be translated quickly into a robust technical design.
Sizes without compromise
amixon® offers a very broad spectrum of mixing and drying solutions:
- VM, HM, AM as well as VMT and AMT: on request in 100-litre increments from 100 to 50,000 litres.
- Gyraton® GM: from 10 to approximately 100 m³ in 1 m³ increments.
- EM: approximately 5 to 200 litres with standard drum.
- COM: approximately 100 to 4,000 litres with the container as the mixing chamber.
Within the respective design the fill level is flexible; with conical mixers it can range from approximately 5–10 % to 100 % of the usable content, which allows a wide batch range to be covered with the same machine.
Manufacture in Paderborn as the quality foundation
amixon® develops and manufactures at the Paderborn site with a high depth of fabrication. Through the close interlocking of engineering, manufacture, pilot plant and service, specifications remain transparent and reproducible.
Long-term supply of spare parts and service is secured through the Paderborn site as well as the international service and pilot-plant structures.