A horizontal paddle mixer uses a rotating paddle shaft inside a cylindrical chamber to move, fold and disperse powders in a controlled, continuous flow. It provides uniform blending with short residence times and tunable shear, supporting dry mixing, wetting/slurry formation, coating and light agglomeration.
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CONTINUOUS MIXERS
for Powders & Bulk Solids
Modulomix
Horizontal Paddle Mixer
The Modulomix is a continuous horizontal paddle mixer engineered for fast, reliable processing of fine and cohesive powders. Its high tip speeds deliver intensive dispersion with minimal residence time and limited temperature rise.
Compact and modular, the Modulomix provides flexible shear conditions, excellent cleanability and straightforward scale-up — ideal for chemical, food, mineral, metal and pharmaceutical continuous blending applications.
Key Benefits
- Fast, homogeneous mixing with short residence times
- Flexible shear regimes: low, medium or high shear as required
- Minimal temperature increase; excellent heat transfer capability
- Compact, modular design for cascading multiple units
- Low product hold-up and easy cleaning
- Optional heating/cooling jackets and sanitary construction
- Integration-ready for PAT, LIW feeders and continuous process lines
- Typical throughput range: 2–200 kg/h
Principle of Operation
The Modulomix horizontal paddle mixer consists of a cylindrical process chamber with a central shaft fitted with paddles that rotate at a fixed clearance from the chamber wall. The paddles generate both axial and radial motion, continuously conveying the powder forward and backward for rapid, homogeneous mixing.
The intensive agitation regime achieves complete mixing with very short residence times, enhancing energy efficiency while maintaining product integrity. Although high shear can be applied, particle attrition is limited by the paddle geometry and controlled clearance.
Rotor speed and paddle configuration can be adjusted to suit specific product characteristics and mixing objectives. For example, blending magnesium stearate requires a different mixing regime than drug or excipient blending — easily managed by cascading multiple Modulomix units in series.
The Modulomix is also well-suited for coating applications. For instance, many difficult-to-wet proteins can be instantised with the addition of less than 1% lecithin surfactant, while calcium carbonate powders can be encapsulated or rendered hydrophobic with a coating of less than 1% stearate powder.
Process Flexibility
The Modulomix horizontal paddle mixer is suitable for a wide range of processes, including:
- Dry powder mixing and homogenisation
- Hydration of hard-to-wet powders
- Slurry mixing
- Coating
- Sterilisation
- Crystallisation
- Agglomeration / granulation
- De-lumping and finishing
Models & Capacities
Indicative values; performance depends on product properties and process parameters. Detailed information is available on request.
| Model | [-] | MMX-1 | MMX-2 | MMX-2.5 | MMX-3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity (bulk density 0.5 kg/l) | [kg/h] | 2.5 – 120 | 10 – 480 | 15 – 750 | 22.5 – 1,080 |
| Typical motor power | [kW] | 1.6 | 7.5 | 11 | 15 |
The Modulomix enables a modular setup. If your recipe requires multiple mixing steps or distinct regimes — gentle pre-mixing, high-intensity dispersion, post-conditioning — you can cascade Modulomix units in series. Each stage operates with its own speed, residence time and paddle geometry, forming a compact, scalable train that delivers consistent quality, precise control and reliable scale-up.
Options & Ancillaries
Our engineering team can deliver complete turnkey solutions, including loss-in-weight feeders, dosing skids, PAT monitoring (NIR, Raman, etc.), jacketed vessels, CIP/SIP skids, wet granulators, dryers, compactors and control systems. The Modulomix is available with optional heating and cooling jackets, and in a sanitary, GMP-compliant design for pharmaceutical use.
With 100+ years of solids-processing expertise, Hosokawa Micron delivers proven, scalable mixing solutions from pilot systems to full-scale production plants.
Test Before You Invest
Before investing in new equipment, test your materials under real process conditions at our Test & Process Development Centre in the Netherlands. Our experienced specialists help you determine the most efficient mixing, agglomeration or drying process, from laboratory trials to full-scale production testing.
Whether you want to evaluate a single machine or a complete processing line, we provide tailored testing and process optimisation to ensure reliable scale-up and proven performance.
Learn more
Discuss Your Process
Let our experts help you configure the right continuous mixer for your powders and bulk solids — optimised for efficiency and performance.
Applications
The Modulomix horizontal paddle mixer is ideal for a wide range of products. Here are a few examples:
FAQ – Modulomix Horizontal Paddle Mixer
What is a horizontal paddle mixer?
How does the Modulomix work?
The Modulomix rotor paddles generate both axial and radial movement, continuously transporting material through the mixing chamber. Rotor speed and paddle geometry can be adjusted to match the desired shear level and residence time for a given formulation. Different shear profiles can be achieved by configuring multiple Modulomix units in series.
What materials can the Modulomix process?
Fine and cohesive powders, difficult-to-wet ingredients, and slurries—across pharma (APIs/excipients), food powders, pigments/toners, detergents, minerals and metals. It handles small liquid additions and lubricants, enables coating/instantising, and maintains PSD with very short residence times.
What are the advantages of the Modulomix?
The Modulomix delivers continuous, fast and consistent blending with short residence times, low product hold-up and excellent heat transfer. It offers precise shear control, easy scale-up (parallel or cascade operation), sanitary GMP execution and seamless integration with PAT and feeding systems — reducing downtime, WIP and operator dependency while improving process robustness.
What sizes and scale-up options are available?
Typical throughput is 2–200 kg/h per unit. Scale-up is achieved by parallel operation or cascading multiple mixers. Pilot trials at our Test Centre ensure reliable scale-up and predictable process control at production scale.
Can the Modulomix be validated for pharmaceutical continuous blending?
Yes. The Modulomix supports sanitary design, CIP/SIP options and PAT integration. Hosokawa Micron assists with validation, continuous batch definition and regulatory documentation in compliance with GMP standards.
Sustainable Process Technologies
Hosokawa Micron develops powder processing systems with a focus on energy efficiency, process optimisation and long-term operational performance. As an ISO 14001 certified company with an EcoVadis Silver Medal, we support more sustainable powder and bulk solids processing.
