The patent gave rise to a mixing principle that changed entire industries. It led to the production of the innovative products that we know today. In response to constant new demands, the “Eirich intensive mixer” has undergone minor and major developments ever since.
As a partner and provider of innovative process engineering solutions for numerous branches and with its focus on research and development, Eirich has carved out a reputation for itself over many decades. Eirich’s understanding of its customers and their problems has always been accompanied by process engineering know-how and a pioneering technological spirit.
A whole century of ideas
“We are proud of our success and our long history in such a dynamic market. Eirich demonstrates that tradition and innovation are not mutually exclusive, but rather build on each other. They combine to deliver an absolute recipe for success. A lot of manufacturing companies rely on our technologies, and they value the durability of our machines. Many of which have been in use for decades. We don't want to rest on our laurels, though: We’re constantly developing and are now also bringing digitalization into the production environment,” says Ralf Rohmann, managing partner of Eirich.
In 1903, the first “ring trough mixer” was developed and patented in Hardheim. It was followed in 1906 by the “planetary mixer”, but the success story of the far more advanced “Eirich mixing principle” began in 1924 with the construction of the first mixers with driven mixing pans. The mixers were introduced in many sectors as “Eirich counterflow mixers”. In 1960, the company launched its fourth mixer generation, the “countercurrent intensive mixer” with an additional rotor – which may be the first intensive mixer ever produced.
The fifth generation arrived in 1972. Those mixers had an inclined rotating mixing pan, a stationary bottom and a fast-turning rotor. This combination results in 100 % agitation of the material on every revolution of the mixing pan, which is what makes the Eirich mixing principle so efficient even today. This generation was followed by intensive mixers with vacuum, heated, and cooled versions featuring all manner of wear protection in a range of sizes and with capacities extending from one liter to 12,000 liters. A 0.1 liter machine is in the development stage at the moment.
Know-how for cross-industry technology
Originally specializing in the construction industry, the company has successfully expanded its mixing and processing solutions to many other sectors of industry as well. Today, “Eirich intensive mixers” are used not only in facilities making concrete and construction materials, but also in the chemical industry, environmental engineering, metallurgy, foundries, and ceramics, in the production of friction linings and carbon pastes as well as in the manufacturing of mineral fertilizers, foodstuffs and many other products. Over the years, Eirich has established itself worldwide as a technology leader and contributed its expertise in over 150 sectors.
Significant progress across many industries
Concrete industry:
The first Eirich mixer was developed in 1903 for the concrete industry, which was still in its infancy at the time. The company is able to meet the high demands placed on architectural and heavy-duty concrete in terms of quality and cost effectiveness even today. It is constantly refining the mixing technology, delivering homogeneity, short batch processing times, high throughput rates, better fine distribution and savings on coloring pigments and binders.
Ceramic industry:
The development of the “planetary mixer” in 1906 opened the door for ceramic applications. At that time, the main product was refractory bricks. The development of the “counterflow mixer” and the “subsequent intensive mixer” meant that all areas of ceramic production and the processing of carbon pastes were covered virtually. Today the ceramic industry is one of the sectors the hardest hit by rising energy prices, making innovative solutions essential. That is why Eirich developed the “EcoPrep”-process for generating low-cost, high-grade granules that are then compressed to form tiles or other ceramic products. Compared with conventional technology in spray towers, this process saves up to 60 % of energy as well as additives and raw materials.
Foundry industry:
With its molding sand mixers, Eirich has been a partner to foundries since 1925 and offers complete turnkey solutions for molding material preparation. The industry is now focused not only on high-grade production results, but also on resource conservation and digitalization. Eirich has developed intelligent sand management technology that saves raw materials and energy throughout the production cycle and minimizes reject rates, even for castings. Under a vacuum atmosphere, the “EVACTHERM”-process combines mixing, cooling, and bentonite activation in one machine. The “QualiMaster AT1” inline test unit monitors molding material quality in real time, ensuring a consistently high level of quality by identifying variances and learning how to counteract them. Data is also communicated with the downstream molding facility, enabling comprehensive production analyses and proactive molding material compositions.
Metallurgy:
The 1970s saw the first tentative tests conducted in collaboration with Lurgi (now “Metso:Outotec”) and the increasing use of Eirich mixers in iron ore pelletizing plants. Eirich won contracts because of the much better mixing quality it was able to offer compared with previous systems. The next development stage for even higher throughput rates came in the early 1990s with “Eirich continuous mixers”, culminating in 2006 in the type “DW40”, designed to process up to 1200 t/h of iron ore concentrate (equivalent to one complete freight train every hour). Eirich was also able to achieve a higher level of production for sinter mixes because it could process much higher quantities of fines and ferrous residues. The current trend is towards the processing of micro pellets that are then refined further in hydrogen-based direct reduction and in the electric arc furnace. This enables us to make a major contribution to the decarbonization of the steel industry.
Battery industry:
For more than 80 years, Mixers from Eirich have been used for the processing of battery pastes. They have set the pace in the development of both lead paste mixes for lead-acid batteries and depolarizers for dry cells. The machines with heavy kneaders were replaced in the 1960s by intensive mixers with high-speed mixing tools. With the subsequent introduction of vacuum technology, Eirich brought out a highly efficient solution for a homogeneous mixture, enabling the industry to experience a huge growth spurt. Today Eirich has established itself as a partner in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries and offers new, resource-saving technologies for development labs all the way to giga-factories.
Customer proximity for new stimuli
“One of the key elements in the development of the company has been our dialog with existing and potential customers. This enables us to identify problems or new requirements and provide the appropriate technologies. Companies are constantly approaching us with inquiries or complex challenges they are facing in production. We sit down with them to develop new solutions that start in our own test center and ultimately end up in series production processes”, explains CEO Stephan Eirich.
This ensures that the century-old history of the Eirich mixer is continuously updated. At the same time, the traditional company is paying particular attention to digital transformation. High-tech and digital products are increasingly flowing into the industry solutions, from the online ordering of spare parts to AI-controlled quality assurance for the mixed end products.
This year, Eirich has begun to tap into another new sector in the shape of the food and pharmaceutical industries. It has already presented three machines, the Cleanline C5, C40 and C400, meeting the explicitly high requirements for hygienic and contamination-sensitive areas.
“Thanks to its great flexibility, the rotating pan that Eirich invented is still present even after more than 100 years. The pioneering work of the engineers at the time is set to remain the basis for innovation and progress – with the potential to take many other industries to a new level or even into a new age,” Eirich adds.
