For manufacturers blending powders, granules or mixed dry ingredients at scale, the consistency of the final blend directly determines product quality, regulatory compliance and profitability. Yet many industrial mixing processes still rely on technologies — ribbon blenders, tumble mixers, ploughshare mixers — that require extended cycle times, produce unacceptable coefficient of variation (CV) values, or demand frequent cleaning shutdowns. Let’s look at a new breed of powder blending equipment.
The Dinnissen Pegasus® Batch Mixer offers a fundamentally different approach: a twin-shaft paddle design that creates a fluid-bed mixing zone, achieving blending uniformity of CV <1% in as little as 30 seconds — without the energy penalty or maintenance burden of conventional equipment. Advanced Packaging Systems (APS) is the exclusive New Zealand distributor for Dinnissen Process Technology.
Pegasus Hygienic Batch Mixer
What Is the Dinnissen Pegasus® Batch Mixer?
The Pegasus® Batch Mixer is Dinnissen’s flagship blending platform, built around a twin-shaft counter-rotating paddle mechanism. Products are introduced through an airtight seal at the top; the two shafts, fitted with precisely pitched paddles, rotate in opposing directions to create a controlled fluid bed within the mixing chamber. When the blend is complete, hatches at the base open to discharge the product in full.
Available in capacities from 10 litres to 15,000 litres — capable of processing several tonnes per batch — the Pegasus® is designed to scale from pilot production through to full industrial output without altering the fundamental mixing mechanism or the resulting blend quality.
The Problem with Conventional Industrial Blenders
Ribbon blenders, v-blenders and tumble drums remain common in food and chemical manufacturing, but they carry inherent limitations:
- Extended cycle times: Achieving CV <5% in a ribbon blender typically requires 10–30 minutes of mixing time.
- Segregation risk: Blends of powders with differing particle sizes or densities are prone to de-mixing during or after the mixing cycle.
- Incomplete discharge: Dead zones along ribbon flights or drum walls retain product between batches, creating contamination and yield loss.
- High energy per tonne: Conventional mixers run continuously for long cycles, consuming significantly more energy per tonne of mixed product than fluid-bed paddle designs.
The Pegasus® Batch Mixer addresses each of these failure modes through a fundamentally different mechanical principle.
How the Twin-Shaft Paddle Design Works
The counter-rotating paddles create a toroidal (doughnut-shaped) product flow: material moves along the mixer walls and through the centre simultaneously. This three-dimensional circulation produces:
Rapid homogenisation: The fluid-bed zone ensures every particle is in constant motion, eliminating the stagnant zones that cause poor CV in batch ribbon blenders. Typical mixing times are 30–120 seconds depending on the recipe and required uniformity target.
CV <1% uniformity: Validated by Dinnissen across thousands of installations, the Pegasus® consistently achieves coefficient of variation values below 1% — a benchmark increasingly demanded for pharmaceutical premixes, infant formula and speciality feeds.
Gentle handling: Despite rapid mixing, the fluid-bed action is gentle on fragile ingredients such as expanded pellets, coated particles, dried herbs or spice clusters, preserving particle integrity throughout the cycle.
A Dinnissen Total System Integration Solution.
Optional Process Modules: One Mixer, Many Functions
A core advantage of the Pegasus® platform is its modular design. The base batch mixer can be configured with integrated process modules, eliminating the need for separate downstream equipment:
Pegasus® Conditioner: Adds steam injection and a heating jacket to condition the blend (e.g., gelatinisation of starches, hydration of proteins) while mixing.
Pegasus® Thermal Mixer: Uses direct steam injection for in-mixer salmonella reduction — a critical requirement for petfood and animal feed manufacturers operating under HACCP protocols.
Pegasus® Vacuum Coater: Combines mixing with vacuum-assisted liquid coating, enabling precise fat or oil application onto petfood kibble or granulated ingredients at low temperatures.
Pegasus® Vacuum Mixer: Applies vacuum during the mixing cycle to deaerate sensitive food products, extend shelf life or reduce oxidation of fat-rich blends.
Each module is integrated into the same mixer body, reducing floor space requirements and capital expenditure versus installing separate process vessels.
Capacity Range: From Pilot to Full Production
- 10 L – 100 L: Pilot and laboratory-scale trials, recipe development, small-batch speciality production.
- 250 L – 2,000 L: Mid-range food, petfood and dairy production.
- 3,000 L – 15,000 L: Large-scale animal feed, chemical and bulk food ingredient blending.
Because the twin-shaft paddle mechanism scales geometrically, the mixing CV and cycle time achieved at 100 litres is directly replicable at 5,000 litres — a critical advantage for manufacturers scaling new product formulations from pilot to commercial production.
Industries and Applications
Food & Beverage: Dry spice blends, instant beverage premixes, bakery improvers, infant formula base blends, functional food powders.
Petfood & Aquafeed: Dry kibble ingredient blending, wet-coated feed conditioning, aquafeed premix compounding.
Dairy: Milk powder blending, infant formula stage mixing, whey protein blend production.
Chemical: Industrial mineral powder blending, detergent base mixing, fertiliser premix compounding.
Hygienic Design and Regulatory Compliance
For food-grade and pharmaceutical-grade applications, the Pegasus® Batch Mixer is available in EHEDG-certified and 3-A hygienic designs. Wetted surfaces are manufactured from 316L stainless steel with validated surface finishes (Ra ≤ 0.8 µm where required). The full-discharge gate eliminates residual heel, reducing allergen cross-contamination risk and simplifying changeover between product runs.
ATEX-rated designs are available for blending products with explosive dust characteristics.
What to Consider When Specifying Powder Blending Equipment
Required CV target: Pharmaceutical premix and infant formula applications typically require CV <1%; food blends may accept up to 3–5% depending on recipe tolerance.
Batch size and throughput: Confirm the nominal fill volume (typically 60–75% of mixer working volume) and required batches per shift.
Ingredient characteristics: Particle size distribution, bulk density, fragility and moisture sensitivity all influence mixer selection.
Integrated process requirements: If coating, conditioning or sterilisation is needed, a modular platform such as the Pegasus® may eliminate the need for separate downstream vessels.
Cleaning regime: CIP-compatible designs reduce downtime between allergen or product changeovers.
Sourcing the Pegasus® Batch Mixer in New Zealand
Advanced Packaging Systems (APS) is the exclusive New Zealand agent for Dinnissen Process Technology, providing local application support, process consultation and after-sales service. APS works with customers across food, dairy, petfood and chemical manufacturing to specify the correct Pegasus® configuration for each application — including plant visits, process audits and sizing calculations based on required throughput.
To discuss a blending requirement or request a process evaluation, contact APS.
