Gentle mixing process for demanding products
The BOLZ-SUMMIX conical screw mixer ensures a gentle and effective mixing process for bulk solids with a sensitive particle structure as well as for demanding or valuable products for the pharmaceutical, chemical or food industries. Low mechanical forces will avoid product demolition hence combined with low energy consumption by asking for just small drive power.
The mixer works according to the proven principle of a rotating mixing screw being guided along the wall of the conical vessel at constant close distance by means of an orbital arm.
Generated by compulsive mixing and gravity, the three-dimensional product flow ensures an intensive and yet gentle mixing of the individual particles without the danger of segregation even for very different product characteristics of the raw materials in regards of density, particle size and shape. Due to this the mixer is well suited for constantly changing solids and variable batch sizes in the range of 10 to 100% of its nominal working volume.
Three-dimensional product movement and homogeneous mixing
Not the entire product batch will be agitated at a time, only a selected portion of the bulk solids will be vertically lifted bottom-to-top by the mixing screw running close along the conical wall, passing through the mostly stationary bulk solids bed. With the entire product batch it will frequently flow back into the bottom of the mixer simply by gravity where the entire gentle product circulation starts again and again. The slow rotation of the orbital arm ensures horizontal mixing and together with gravity maintains a three-dimensional product flow.
The conical mixing screw, typically combined with a frequency controlled drive, does achieve a reduced mixing time and does increase the reproducible product quality by a homogeneous mixing and blending of all batch components and mixing ingredients.
By means of gravity the product is discharged centrally, unrestricted and residue-free with a homogeneous flow, controlled by the specific design and the speed of the mixing screw. The adaption of the screw to the vessel wall and discharge ensures minimized clearance.
Optional components
Additionally, the mixer features good cleanability with a complete and residue free drain of the cleaning fluids. Diverse sensors for temperature and pressure monitoring are optionally available as well as sampling valves, also with containment. According to customer requirements the conical screw mixer can be equipped with filling and discharge valves as well as WIP/CIP nozzles. For special demand different kinds of a vent filter with reverse jet cleaning as well as heating/cooling or insulating jackets are also available.
In the video below expert Reinhold Huber explains the gentle mixing process. The machine in the video is the laboratory version of the large conical mixer.