NMBU has patented a new type of high performance industrial mixer. The machine was developed from a cooperation between RealTek and FôrTek at NMBU, and with the participation of Ard Innovation.
A prototype was built with the involvement of Forberg International AS. The inventors are Dejan Miladinovic with Ismet Nikqi from FôrTek and Carlos Salas from RealTek. The new technology aims to improve the mixing of powders and particles with fluids in a shorter time. It is expected that this equipment will cost 30% less than the competing technologies. This machine can be used in a large number of industries like food, feed, pharma, cement, etc. The equipment can be classified as a paddle mixer. Paddle mixers are known to be limited to handle a maximum of 35 % water, while the new invention can handle powders mixed with up to 65 % water.
The most common mixer in the market today, that handles high amounts of water (>35%), are ribbon mixers. These mixers are slow and known to produce mixtures with low homogeneity. The new technology on the other hand, produces mixtures with high homogeneity, even better than the best paddle mixers. It also produces a mixture with no agglomeration when handling high amounts of liquids.
The project has entered into a commercialization phase led by Ard Innovation. This has attracted the media, and Finansavisen have already published an article describing this new technology.