What is a Double Cone Mixer

A double cone mixer is a device engineered for the uniform mixing of powder materials, commonly used in the pharmaceutical, chemical, and food industries. 

Its gentle tumbling mixing method prevents material shearing and is often used for fragile powders. It is easy to operate and can help you improve mixing quality and accelerate processing speed.

Working Principle of Double Cone Mixer

The double cone mixer consists of two cone-shaped containers, which mainly rely on the free fall motion of materials during rotation to achieve efficient and uniform mixing. As the equipment rotates, the powder inside the cones is lifted to a certain height and then falls naturally, tumbling under the action of gravity, allowing materials of different particle sizes and densities to fully cross-exchange.

Advantages of a Double Cone Blender

Rapid Uniform Blending Capability

Material uniformity is a core production indicator. The biggest advantage of a double cone mixer is its ability to achieve uniform mixing within 10–15 minutes, with mixing deviation controllable within ±1% CV. 

Compared to conventional drum or manual mixing equipment, it mixes faster and more stably. Furthermore, you can also add paddle baffles to enhance the agitation of complex materials, making difficult-to-mix materials meet your project requirements. 

Therefore, when facing a tight delivery time, a double cone mixer can help you produce more batches of materials daily, ensuring on-time delivery and earning greater customer trust.

Suitable for Fragile and Sensitive Material

The double cone blender applies a tumbling motion to mix materials, resulting in a gentle process without high-speed shearing forces. Therefore, materials will not be broken or pulverized within the chamber, and it is very suitable for fragile particles and herbaceous granules. 

For some slightly agglomerated materials, a reinforcing bar can be added to assist in dispersion in a gentle de-agglomeration. You can rest assured that using a double cone mixer will not degrade sensitive materials, alter particle shape, or affect the texture of your finished product. This is also why many pharmaceutical, food, and fine chemical companies choose it.

Compliance with Hygiene Standards

All parts of our double cone mixer that come into contact with materials are made of SS304 or SS316 stainless steel, which is corrosion-resistant, wear-resistant, and maintains a clean surface for a long time. Furthermore, the design fully complies with GMP requirements, supports CIP/SIP cleaning and sterilization, and employs a fully enclosed structure to prevent cross-contamination and dust spillage.

Worried about the trouble of cleaning? The bottom butterfly valve and inclined discharge structure allow your material to be completely emptied, leaving no dead corners and significantly reducing your cleaning time. Additionally, you can choose vacuum feeding to further prevent material waste and keep your production environment clean.

Easy to Handle

The conical chamber of the double-cone mixer falls naturally due to gravity, ensuring smooth material discharge without sticking to the walls or causing blockages. Loading and unloading are further simplified when equipped with a butterfly valve. 

Moreover, the machine is easy to operate, requiring only one operator to complete the loading, mixing, and unloading processes. Compared to other complex mixing equipment that requires experience, the double-cone mixer adds virtually no training costs to you. 

If you are expanding production and facing a staff shortage, this machine will make your production easier. And, its simple mechanical structure naturally also brings less downtime.

Long Service Life

Each of our double cone blenders undergoes static balancing calibration before leaving the factory, guaranteeing stability during long-term operation and preventing impact on the gearbox and motor. 

At the same time, the entire unit is constructed of high-strength stainless steel, with a stable frame, reducing vibration and noise at the source. Unlike thin-walled drum mixers that experience deformation and material leakage after a few years of use, the double cone mixer’s structure has been proven over a long period, bringing you stable operation for more than ten years. One purchase provides years of benefits, offering exceptional value.

Cost-Effective

The double cone mixer’s mixing method consumes less energy and saves you money on electricity compared to high-speed mixer equipment. Its simple structure and easy operation also reduce your employment costs. Meanwhile, the mixing process produces less dust and residue, resulting in low material loss—especially for industries with high raw material costs, like pharmaceuticals. 

Even saving just 1-2% of material per batch can bring you a large profit margin over a year. If you are seeking to decrease long-term operating costs, the double cone mixer is an excellent choice.

Difference Between a Double Cone Mixer and a V-Blender

Shape and Size

• Double Cone Mixer

The double cone blender features a symmetrical double cone structure. Due to its long cones, the overall height of the equipment is slightly higher, and it takes a larger footprint compared to a V-type mixer. Fortunately, the double cone mixer has a larger material loading capacity and is suitable for factories with larger production lines.

• V-Blender

The V-blender has a compact structure, consisting of two V-shaped cylinders. Its overall footprint is smaller than that of a double-cone mixer, so it is often used in limited factory space.

Mixing Efficiency

• Double Cone Mixer

The tumbling mixing method of the double cone mixer is relatively gentle, resulting in a moderate mixing speed, typically 10–15 minutes. Adding paddle-type baffles can further improve mixing efficiency.

• V-Blender

The unique structure of the V-type mixer allows materials to be quickly separated and recombined during rotation. And, the mixing path is short, so uniform mixing can generally be finished in a short time.

Compatible Material

• Double Cone Mixer

The double cone mixer can handle free-flowing powders and granules, and is also well-suited for brittle, fragile, and heat-sensitive materials. Furthermore, the cone shape reduces stratification, so it can mix materials with significant differences in density.

• V-Blender

V-mixers are more suitable for powdery materials, particularly with similar particle sizes and good flowability, such as pharmaceutical powders, food additives, and flavorings.

Cost

• Double Cone Mixer

The manufacturing cost of the double cone mixer’s cylinder is higher. Additionally, due to the large footprint and heavier weight, transportation and installation costs also increase. However, it can deal with large batch capacity, so it is often used for medium to large-scale production. As production capacity increases, overall operating costs will decrease.

• V-Blender

V-blenders have lower manufacturing and installation costs. And, maintenance is also easier, spare parts are cheaper, and the return on investment is quicker. If your factory frequently changes formulas and operates on small batches, the V-blender is more cost-effective.

Applications of the Double Cone Mixer

Pharmaceutical Industry

Uneven mixing of pharmaceuticals will cause product spoilage, resulting in losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars. A double cone mixer allows materials to continuously tumble and diffuse within the chamber, guaranteeing that even the most fluid powders are mixed uniformly. Furthermore, its smooth, mirror-like inner surface leaves virtually no powder residue, reducing your cleaning difficulties and facilitating certification.

Chemistry Industry

Dry powder detergents, ceramic powders, glass powders, fertilizer powders, and dye powders can all be highly mixed using a double cone mixer. Meanwhile, it diminishes powder breakage and can easily handle heat-sensitive chemical materials. In addition, its fully enclosed structure prevents dust leakage, protecting your employees and the production conditions. With consistent color and uniform particle size, the double cone mixer is a reliable choice.

Food Industry

Spices, flavorings, milk powder, ice cream powder, and other food ingredients have high hygiene requirements. The double-cone mixer is fully polished, easy to clean, and can help you pass routine testing and third-party audits. Besides, the double-cone mixing method can preserve the structure of flavoring particles and prevent localized overheating that could cause flavor loss. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about the returns.

Plastic Industry

The proportions of color masterbatches, additives, modified plastics, and filler powders require strict control, and uneven mixing will bring customer complaints. A double cone blender can uniformly mix plastic powders of various densities and particle sizes, also breaking up all forms of clumps through the tumbling process. Therefore, it can guarantee your production capacity and decrease material waste, which is exactly what many plastic factories urgently need.

Considerations for You to Select the Right Double Cone Blender 

Material Property

If the materials have significant weight differences, internal baffles can be added to improve your mixing efficiency. For hygroscopic materials, attention should be paid to the cylinder’s sealing and surface polishing level to reduce adhesion and residue. But for easily oxidized materials, vacuum or nitrogen protection functions need to be applied.

Capacity

The fill rate of a double cone mixer is usually between 40% and 70%, so looking only at the total volume of equipment is incorrect. Effective mixing volume is what matters. Note that the bulk density of the material will also affect the actual load weight. You can submit your batch weight and daily expected capacity data to the manufacturer so that you can obtain optimal specifications and avoid cost waste.

Optional Features

To adapt to different production environments, the double cone mixer can be configured with various functions.

ATEX: Suitable for factories handling flammable dust or solvents.

Automatic Feeding System: Reduces employment costs, improves airtightness, and avoids dust pollution.

Weighing Sensor System: Enables real-time monitoring of loading weight, improving batching accuracy.

PLC and Touchscreen: Allows precise control of speed, time, vacuum level, etc. Data is recorded for all forms of tracking and subsequent review.