Industrial mixer

An industrial mixer is a machine for mixing substances on an industrial scale. It is used to homogenize, disperse, or wet raw materials. Typical application areas are the chemical, pharmaceutical, food, plastic, and construction industries.

Industrial mixers differ depending on the type of material to be mixed. There are mixers for powdery bulk goods, pastes and highly viscous products, as well as for liquids and suspensions. The intended mode of operation is also important: batch operation or continuous operation. Batch mixers process defined batch sizes. Continuous mixers, on the other hand, operate in continuous flow mode.

The mixing principle affects the mixing quality. For bulk goods, a distinction is made between free-fall mixers, shear/forced mixers, and convective mixers with active mixing tools. The goal is to achieve the most uniform distribution of all components possible. Division, displacement, convection, and often shear are used for this purpose.

Industrial mixers are usually structurally composed of a mixing vessel, a drive, and a mixing tool or a moving mixing chamber. The components in contact with the product are made of stainless steel or coated materials depending on the application. Seals, bearings, and drives are designed for the required operating conditions. These include temperature, pressure, vacuum, and explosion protection.

Hygiene and cleanability play a central role in many industries. For example, high hygiene standards are required in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Industrial mixers must avoid dead spaces, be easily accessible or have CIP/SIP capability, and have suitable surface roughness. Traceability and process documentation are also important.

Modern industrial mixers are often integrated into automated process lines. They have measurement and control technology for parameters such as speed, weight, temperature, level, or torque. This allows mixing processes to be run and scaled reproducibly. The selection and design of the appropriate industrial mixer are crucial for product quality, energy efficiency, and operational safety. Hygienic precision mixers for a wide range of applications are manufactured by amixon®. More than 30 test mixers are available.