FAQs to Fuchs Maschinen AG

In most cases, the drum holder can be adapted to the operator’s preferred containers. This is very often the case. There are a few restrictions regarding the shape of the container. Depending on the type of blender, the container should ideally be cylindrical in shape (for tilting blenders). Rectangular containers such as jerrycans or specialised containers such as carboys can also be used for mixing (with non-tilting blenders).

The blending container should not be filled to more than 70% of its volume. The desired blending quality is achieved most quickly when the container is filled to 50%. We recommend a minimum fill level of 20 to 25%. For liquids, the maximum fill level can also be up to 90 per cent or more.

The blending time depends heavily on the material being blended. Feedback from customers shows that the desired blending quality is achieved after 5 to 10 minutes of blending. This applies to powdery, normally free-flowing materials that are to be homogenised. For other applications, such as “desedimentation” of liquids or “dissolving solids in solvents,” this process can take significantly longer.

MIXOMAT drum blenders can currently accommodate drums with a maximum size of 400 litres as standard, whereby a NON-tilting MIXOMAT type B can process two 400-litre blending containers simultaneously (on both shaft ends). If you require larger blending containers, please get in touch with us.

A basic distinction is made between MIXOMAT mini and MIXOMAT A laboratory blenders (table-mounted models), MIXOMAT B non-tilting standard blenders (floor-mounted or mobile), and MIXOMAT C tilting blenders (also floor-mounted or mobile). The MIXOMAT mini blenders can process containers of approx. 0.5 to 2.0 litres and the MIXOMAT A blenders can process drums of 3 to 25-litres. The MIXOMAT B blenders are available in three sizes, B1, B2, and B3, and can accommodate drums of approx. 30 to 400 litres. The tiltable MIXOMAT C blenders are available in two subgroups, C-SE (simply efficient) and C-HE (high end). Both have the same functionality, including the tilting function with which the mixing container is lifted into the mixing position, whereby the entire housing tilts in the MIXOMAT C-SE and only the blender shaft tilts in the MIXOMAT C-HE. Due to its completely closed and sealed housing, the MIXOMAT C-HE (like the MIXOMAT A and B) is suitable for clean room applications.

MIXOMAT drum blenders are used in all sectors where bulk materials are handled. These primarily include the food industry, the dietary supplements industry, the pharmaceutical sector, veterinary medicine, the animal feed industry, the speciality chemicals sector, the plastics industry, metallurgy, the watchmaking industry, etc.

The MIXOMAT A, B and C-SE blenders are available in two equipment variants: the ecoline version and the comfortseries version. The ecoline version features a basic control system without speed control or blending time adjustment. The comfortseries version includes an automatic control system with a touchscreen HMI. Although a printer is not included as standard, however, we offer this as an option for all comfortseries versions and for the MIXOMAT C-HE.

FUCHS MIXOMAT tumbling blenders are used to homogenise multiple components, to colour plastic granules, to desediment liquids, to dissolve solids such as rubber in solvents, or to coat parts such as O-rings, and much more.

MIXOMAT blenders are used worldwide on all continents in small businesses as well as in large multinational corporations, especially in industries such as food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastics, metallurgy, batteries, the watch industry, and many more. Although FUCHS does not have a representative in many countries, it is able to deliver to all countries. All FUCHS machines require very little maintenance – which is why FUCHS customers do not need external on-site support.

MIXOMAT tumbling blenders are very high-quality and reliable blending machines that blend the material thoroughly, leaving no residue. Cross-contamination is ruled out with this blending process, as a separate drum can be used for each material. The blenders are very quiet, long-lasting, easy to clean, and extremely low-maintenance. They are available in many designs (explosion-proof versions, mobile, single- and double-sided versions, with adapters for processing various containers) and sizes.

A drum blender is used to evenly blend powders, granules or liquids in closed containers. It is often used in pharmaceutical, chemical and food production. In this process, the blending drum is rotated around its own axes, but in a slightly inclined position, at a moderate speed, so that the material to be blended rolls around inside the drum and is thoroughly blended in a very gentle manner due to the different blending speeds achieved by the individual particles as a result of their varying positions. The blending process is usually enhanced or accelerated by a blending baffle attached to the cover of the drum.

Laboratory blenders are designed for smaller container sizes and test quantities, while drum blenders can process larger volumes of up to 400 litres. FUCHS drum blenders are available in a tilting version for blending containers with a gross volume of approximately 100 litres or more, whilst laboratory blenders are usually placed on a laboratory bench. Alternatively, a mobile stand can be supplied with the laboratory blenders so that the blender is positioned at an ergonomically optimal height.

The plansifter (e.g. SIFTOMAT) performs a harmonious circular or oscillating motion, while a vibrating sifter performs a high-frequency vibrating motion with a short amplitude. Due to the rapid movement, the product to be sifted has less time to fall through the mesh than with the “more leisurely” sifting movement of a flat sieve. The slow sifting movement is also much gentler than the aggressive movement of a vibrating sifter, which is crucial for fragile materials. The same applies to the service life of the sifting machine. Due to the much gentler sifting movement, the flat sieve has a clear advantage over the vibrating sieve in terms of service life. Last but not least, the quality of sifting is also higher with the flat sieve, as its sifting is much more accurate than the vibrating sifting due to the slow sifting movement.

The sifting capacity of a sifting machine is defined by the throughput of the material to be sifted in kg/h. This depends heavily on the material to be sifted, the sifting application (sizing, dedusting, or control sifting), the sifting area, and the mesh width used. That is why the FUCHS SIFTOMAT plansifter is available in 8 different mesh sizes. Roughly speaking, FUCHS SIFTOMAT sifting machines have a capacity of approx. 10 to 20 kg with the smallest size up to 15 tons per hour with the largest sifting machine. The capacity of the CONTROMAT control sifters ranges from approx. 100 kg/h to several tons per hour.

FUCHS sifters have typically been used very successfully for many years and around the world in the food industry, the plastics industry, the textile industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the chemical industry, as well as in many other sectors such as metallurgy and the animal feed industry.

FUCHS SIFTOMAT and CONTROMAT sifting machines are largely standardised in various sizes and designs. The SIFTOMAT is available in 8 standard sizes and can be designed with one, two, or three sifting decks. The CONTROMAT is available in 2 standard sizes for two versions. There is a round version without an outlet for coarse particles and a rectangular version with an outlet for coarse particles. Both sieve types (SIFTOMAT and CONTROMAT) can be customised to a certain extent to meet customer requirements.

Sieve inserts sometimes need to be removed, for example when changing products or for cleaning. This process takes approx. 1 to 2 minutes for a single-deck sieve and 3 to 4 minutes for a 2-deck sieve. The sieves can be removed completely without tools. On most sifters and for most applications, replacement of the sieves can be carried out by a single person. For large sifters, it is advisable to install a crane or chain hoist to lift the machine’s cover, unless two members of staff can be assigned to this task.

Changing the sieve on the CONTROMAT is very simple and usually takes no longer than 2 minutes and no tools are required.

FUCHS SIFTOMAT plansifters can be equipped with a rubber balls cleaning system. This prevents the sieve meshes from clogging during the sifting process.

FUCHS offers a range of cleaning balls to suit different applications or products: these include cleaning balls made from indian rubber with optimum ‘bounce’ properties (for the best cleaning effect), silicone balls for greasy materials to be screened, and PU balls with excellent abrasion resistance for abrasive applications. Unfortunately, this is not possible with the CONTROMAT sieve. Alternatively, both sieve types can be equipped with ultrasonic sieve cleaning.

FUCHS sieves can be supplied for Ex zones 1/21 or 2/22. As the interior of the sieve case does not contain its own source of ignition, Zones 0 or 20 do NOT apply!

FUCHS SIFTOMAT and CONTROMAT sieves are supplied in open or closed versions as standard. They are available in stationary or mobile versions. The parts in contact with the product of both types are made of 1.4301 stainless steel, and the base frame of the SIFTOMAT is made of painted structural steel, while that of the CONTROMAT is made of galvanized steel. Of course, FUCHS also supplies versions made entirely of stainless steel and/or parts in contact with the product made of 1.4435.

Furthermore, all standard sifting machines can be adapted to meet most of the operator’s requirements.

A disc mill, also known as a colloid mill, is a mill that basically consists of two discs, one of which (the rotor) rotates and the other (the stator) remains stationary. The material to be ground is fed into the grinding chamber through the hole in the centre of the disc and is then pressed through the gap between the two discs, which are usually profiled, by means of centrifugal force. The distance between the two discs defines the fineness of the ground material.

The GRANOMAT disc mill is suitable for the low-flour grinding of dry materials, such as corn to produce corn meal, as well as to produce emulsions and pastes in wet applications. This includes cosmetic creams, pastes, peanut butter, etc. The GRANOMAT colloid mill is also used in the battery industry and in the production and processing of cellulose.

GRANOMAT mills are standardised and available for the following disc diameters: 150, 250, 360, and 500 mm.

The throughput rate depends greatly on the application and the material being ground. The small mill can produce a few kilograms to 100 kg of meal or emulsions. The largest mill can achieve a throughput rate of up to two or more tonnes per hour.

No. GRANOMAT mills are manufactured to a very high standard in Japan. FUCHS adapts the mills to comply with the EU Machinery Directives and distributes them mainly in Europe (exclusively in Germany and Switzerland).

Unfortunately, no. There is currently no explosion-proof version of the GRANOMAT mill.

The GRANOMAT colloid mill is a very sophisticated and high-quality mill. It works very precisely and is extremely easy to clean. It is very low-maintenance and space-saving. Many different types of grinding discs are available for a wide range of applications. It can be used to grind products ranging from very fine to coarse and those with a very low flour content. The mill is also suitable for the wet grinding of a wide variety of materials. It can also be used to produce emulsions or pastes.

Operation is largely self-explanatory.