Pneumatic Air Mixer

• No internal moving parts: eliminates mechanical wear, reduces maintenance, and virtually eliminates contamination risk from metal abrasion.
• Gentle mixing: no rotating blades means fragile granules or crystals are not broken during mixing.
• Rapid batch mixing: full homogenisation in 30–180 seconds for most materials.
• Low energy consumption: approximately 0.2 kWh per tonne.
• Full discharge: no residual dead zones inside the vessel.
• ATEX option available: inherently suitable for explosive-dust environments since there are no mechanical ignition sources inside the vessel.

Suitable: free-flowing powders and granules, including chemicals, food-grade ingredients, building materials, plastics pellets, mineral powders, and fertilisers — provided the material is not excessively cohesive or sticky.

Not suitable: highly cohesive pastes or slurries (requires a mechanical mixer); materials requiring shear-intensive blending (for example, dispersion of nano-particles into a liquid).

The mixer uses precisely metered air pulses to gently fluidise the powder bed; there are no blade surfaces to impact granules. Practical tests show breakage rates for products such as washing-powder granules and urea fertiliser are typically below 0.3%. In terms of mixing quality, a relative standard deviation (RSD) of ≤ 5% is readily achievable.

Mixing time depends on the material and vessel volume. For most free-flowing powders in a 20–50 m³ vessel, the batch is fully homogenised in 30–120 seconds. For difficult cohesive materials or larger vessels, 3–5 minutes is typical. BONAFEI systems range in capacity from 1 m³ to 100 m³.

Yes. Because there are no mechanical moving parts inside the vessel, there is no mechanical ignition source. When the air supply system (valves, piping) is ATEX-certified and the vessel is grounded/earthed, the system meets ATEX Zone 21 requirements for combustible-dust atmospheres. Please specify ATEX requirements at the enquiry stage so that the appropriate components are selected.

Air consumption depends on vessel volume, material bulk density, and required mixing intensity. As a guideline, a 20 m³ vessel processing granular material consumes approximately 8–15 Nm³ of compressed air per batch at 0.4–0.6 MPa. Overall energy consumption is approximately 0.2 kWh per tonne, which is typically 80–95% lower than equivalent ribbon blender installations.

• Air nozzles / lances: inspect for blockage or wear every 3–6 months.
• Solenoid valves: verify switching response and check diaphragms every 6–12 months.
• Vessel interior: periodic inspection for wear at nozzle entry points; clean residue as required.
• Filter regulators: drain condensate traps weekly; replace filter elements per manufacturer schedule.

There are no gearboxes, shafts, or bearings to lubricate — maintenance time is approximately 90% less than for mechanical mixers.

Yes. Many customers retrofit their existing silos. The key requirements are: ① the vessel must be capable of withstanding the operating pressure (typically 0.6 MPa); ② a suitable nozzle arrangement must be achievable — BONAFEI engineers assess the existing silo geometry and propose a nozzle layout; ③ the existing discharge cone angle and spout size should be reviewed for compatibility. BONAFEI provides complete feasibility assessment and retrofit engineering services.