Bohle Blending Systems: An integral element to the L.B. Bohle success story for almost 30 years

The company’s history began with a blender in 1987 – in the meantime, L.B. Bohle, the machine builder from Ennigerloh, has manufactured more than 3,000 blenders. Day by day, the most varied blending systems are used in the production lines of pharmaceutical companies and toll manufacturers worldwide.

Thanks to the innovative design, flexibility and a long service life of the machines, L.B. Bohle has become the world market leader in the area of blenders.

Five different pick-up systems

The product portfolio is distinguished by a great variety thanks to high flexibility in the areas of construction and production. In this way, the blenders can be adapted to the customer’s individual production requirements and daily specifications. The blenders of L.B. Bohle are used in all conceivable production scenarios in pharmaceutical production.

Thanks to the patented blending elements installed on the inside of the container lid, all blending systems allow for very homogeneous blending of the powder batch. Depending on the process, scaling is possible from 14 to 12,000 litres. As standard, the blending containers come as interchangeable containers with a volume of up to 2,400 liters. Due to the patented Bohle blending systems, each blending container can be used for effective mixing between 20 and 85 percent of the total container volume for densities between 0.2 – 1.2 kg/dm³. Another important design feature is different pick-up   systems. L.B. Bohle offers its customers five different pick-up systems.

Electronically monitored quick clamps

Versions with standard load arm and clamps are most frequently requested. The containers are docked via four electronically monitored quick clamps. Containers with a volume of up to 1,200 liters, which are mounted on an undercarriage, can be adapted to the blender without additional lifting equipment being required. Optionally, a chopper installed in the container lid can be used. The drive of this chopper is integrated into the load arm of the blender.

Thanks to the extreme high flexibility of the blender design, there is also a version in which the system can be swivelled around its vertical axis. This allows for optimum adaptation to the customer’s requirements. Further advantages of the design include the long service life and extremely low maintenance requirements.

In another much sought-after version of the pharmaceutical blender, the container is slid onto two pick-up mandrels with its adapter pipes. Two screws on the front side grip the container and prevent sliding. As with other Bohle blending systems, the container is lifted through the blending systems and set into rotation.

Ideal solution for automated container pick-up

In the third version of our blending systems, the load arm is equipped with eccentric clamps. The containers are picked up with tines and braced automatically through eccentric movement in the pick-up pipes, the so-called adapter pipes. This is a very safe pick-up method which is ideally suited for automated container pick-up, for instance on a guide rail. If the containers are equipped with a circumferential frame, they can also be picked up and set down in inverted position. This model is also available as a pivoting version which can be swivelled around the vertical axis. Another version is equipped with a load support with power clamps. These apply pressure on the lower frame of the standing frame, ensuring that the container is tightly braced with the load support.

They can either be adapted via the standing frame or through support rails at the machine body. Load handling is possible either straight or at an angle of up to 30 degrees to take into account existing blending processes. This system has proven itself in its many years of use in the SFM type Bohle blenders.

As a fifth version, L.B. Bohle offers a system in which the load arm is equipped with hydraulic clamps. The containers are clamped hydraulically between the fixed and the movable part of the load support. Various sensors with the corresponding control ensure safe operation of the system. Load handling can be adapted to different container types. Pick-up at an angle of 30 degrees is possible as well. In connection with a lifting unit, the design is especially flexible and, above all, has a small footprint.

All these five versions of mixing systems by L.B. Bohle demonstrate the flexibility of the design, irrespective of the container type used in production: Bohle blenders can handle round or square containers with excellent blending results.