Pilot Batch Double Cone Blender

A Pilot Batch Double Cone Blender is a tumbling mixer designed for homogeneous blending of dry powders and granules in pharmaceutical R&D and small-scale production. It features a dual-cone vessel that rotates to gently tumble materials, ensuring uniformity without damaging fragile particles, making it suitable for testing formulations before full-scale manufacturing. Pilot-scale models typically handle batch sizes from 50-200 liters (or equivalent in kg, depending on material density), bridging lab experiments and commercial production.

Pilot Batch Double Cone Blender Video

Key Features

• Design and Construction: Consists of two conical sections joined by a central cylindrical body, made from stainless steel with mirror-polished interiors to meet cGMP standards and facilitate cleaning. The slant or balanced cone design minimizes dead spots, and it includes a charging port and discharge via butterfly valve. Optional baffles or intensifier bars enhance mixing for denser materials.

• Operation: Rotates at low speeds via a motor and gearbox, promoting end-over-end tumbling for gentle diffusion. Fill to 35-70% capacity (ideally two-thirds) for optimal homogeneity, with mixing times of 5-15 minutes. Features like digital timers, speed controls, and interchangeable cones support flexibility in pilot testing.

• Capacity and Efficiency: Pilot models offer 50-200 liters, with some R&D variants as small as 5-25 liters for initial trials, scalable to production sizes up to 5000+ liters. Low power and energy-efficient compared to high-shear alternatives.

• Safety and Maintenance: Includes interlocks, emergency stops, dust-tight seals, and safety rods to prevent accidents. Minimal moving parts allow easy cleaning and low downtime, with options for vacuum-rated or PLC-controlled versions.

Uses in Pharmaceuticals

Ideal for pilot batches in drug development, this blender mixes APIs with excipients, lubricates granules for tablet compression, and homogenizes powders of varying densities or sizes without shear-induced degradation. It’s used for stability testing, formulation validation, and small-scale production of tablets, capsules, or powders, ensuring compliance with FDA/WHO standards. Also applicable in food, chemicals, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics for similar dry blending tasks.

Comparison to Octagonal Blenders

While octagonal blenders offer multi-directional flow for enhanced efficiency in larger capacities, double cone blenders provide simpler, more compact designs for pilot scales with effective tumbling via the conical shape, though they may require slightly longer mixing for certain densities. Double cone models excel in ease of discharge and minimal dead spots, making them preferable for fragile pharmaceuticals in R&D.

Salient Features of Small Double Cone Blender

• Compact model.

• Interchangeable design hence different capacity cones can be attached on same machine.

• The conical shape at both ends enables uniform mixing and easy discharge.

• All contact parts are made out of Stainless Steel 316 quality material.

• Maximum care has been taken to ensure safe operation of the unit.

• Cantilever type design mounted on single shaft.

• Suitable size of butterfly valve at one end of the cone provided for material discharge & hole with open able cover provided at other end of the cone for material charging & cleaning.

• Cone will be mirror polished from the inside & outside & structure will be matt polished.

• All moving parts covered with SS 304 covers.

• Safety guards made from SS 304 pipes provided in front of the machine.

• Panel fabricated from SS 304 material with facility of three phase indication, start – Stop – Inch Buttons, VFD control.

• Worm reduction gear use for speed reduction.

• All safety guards & covers made out of SS 304.

Technical Specification of Lab Scale Powder Mixer

* Power voltage can be adjusted as per customer’s domestic power voltage requirements.
* Rights of technical improvements & modification reserved.
* Illustrations & dimensions are shown for information purpose only.