Mixing Technology · Rotor-Stator
High Shear Mixers, Dispersers, Emulsifiers and Microcut Mills
One rotor-stator principle, four machines: dissolve powders without lumps, build stable emulsions, homogenise viscous products and cut solids to a smooth paste.
PT-VM5 vertical high shear mixer: top-entry rotor-stator mixer for process tanks.
up to 3,000 rpm
Rotor speed inside a close-fitting stator
750–18,000 L/h
Inline powder/liquid mixer capacity
4 machines
Inline, multi-stage, top-entry and cutting mill
316L · CIP/SIP
Product contact parts, hygienic design
One Rotor-Stator Principle, Four Machines
Concentrated shear in a gap of a fraction of a millimeter, applied where your process needs it.
A high shear mixer puts a rotor turning at up to 3,000 rpm inside a close-fitting stator. Product is drawn into the workhead, sheared in a gap of a fraction of a millimeter and thrown out through the stator openings at high speed. This concentrated energy does in minutes what a paddle agitator needs hours for, with less air and energy and a more uniform result.
Protrus builds the full family: inline powder/liquid mixers, multi-stage in-line emulsifiers, top-entry batch mixers and Microcut cutting mills, all with 316L product contact parts and a CIP-ready hygienic design.
High Shear Mixer
E-MX10 · E-MX50 · E-MX100
Powder/liquid mixer
Inline skid with powder hopper. Draws powder into a fast liquid stream and disperses it in one pass.
Micromix In-Line Mixer
Multi-stage inline mixer
Liquid/liquid mixer
Three-stage inline emulsifier for pipelines and tank loops. Air-free, micron-fine emulsions.
Vertical Mixer
PT-VM5
Batch mixer
Top-entry high shear mixer for process tanks, with interchangeable workheads and two circulation propellers.
Microcut
Batch Model · Inline Model
Cutting mill
Tungsten-edged cutting set at 3,000 rpm for pastes with seeds, nuts, meat or crystals.
Select a Mixer by Duty
Choose the machine by what has to happen to the product: powder wetting, emulsifying in the line, shearing inside your own tank or cutting solids to a paste.
| Machine | Main duty | Configuration | Viscosity | Throughput |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Shear Mixer (E-MX) | Powder/liquid dispersion | Inline, single pass or tank loop | Low to high | 750–18,000 L/h |
| Micromix In-Line Mixer | Liquid/liquid emulsifying | Inline or recirculating | Low to medium-high | Sized to the line |
| Vertical Mixer (PT-VM5) | Tank dispersion and emulsifying | Batch, top-entry | Low to medium; high with anchor | Batch tanks |
| Microcut | Fine size reduction | Batch tank or inline | Medium to very high | On request |
What a High Shear Mixer Does
Cutting, dispersing, emulsifying, homogenising, powder/liquid and liquid/liquid mixing: the same workhead principle, shown before and after each duty.
Rotor-stator workhead seen from below: shear gap 0.1–1 mm, rotor speed up to 3,000 rpm. Typical values.
Rotor-Stator High Shear: Working Principle
1. Suction. The spinning rotor works like an impeller: it pulls liquid and solids axially into the center of the workhead.
2. Mechanical shear. Centrifugal force drives the material outward into the narrow gap between rotor tips and stator wall.
3. Hydraulic shear. Product leaves through the stator slots or holes as high-velocity jets that tear droplets and lumps apart.
4. Circulation. The jets set up a circulation that keeps feeding fresh material to the head until the whole batch is treated.
Tip speed v = π · D · n / 60 and shear rate γ = v / gap. Example: a 150 mm rotor at 3,000 rpm gives about 23.6 m/s; with a 0.5 mm gap the shear rate is about 47,000 1/s. Tip speed sets droplet and particle size; the number of passes through the head sets how uniform the batch becomes.
Powder/liquid mixing · Dispersing · Emulsifying · Homogenising
High Shear Mixer (Inline Homogenizer) for Powder/Liquid Mixing
Wet milk powder, sugar, gums and carbomer in a single pass, without lumps, dust or a separate feed pump.
High Shear Mixer E-MX100 on its mobile frame with powder hopper and control box.
750–18,000 L/h
liquid, three models
2,500 kg/h
powder on the E-MX100
1 pass
wetted and dispersed
316L · CIP/SIP
contact parts, 30 min SIP
How Powder/Liquid Induction Works
Powders tipped onto a liquid surface float, clump and form fish-eyes. The E-MX mixer turns this around: liquid is fed into the mixer and accelerated by the rotor, which creates a vacuum at the powder inlet. Powder from the hopper is pulled straight into this fast stream below the liquid surface, so each particle is wetted on its own and broken up in the rotor-stator gap before it can form a lump. The blend leaves the mixer as a flowing liquid and returns to the tank or moves on to the next process step.
High shear mixer powder/liquid induction loop: liquid feed, powder induction, rotor-stator wetting, recirculation and transfer.
High Shear Mixer Models
| Model | Liquid L/h | Powder kg/h | Motor | Liquid in | Powder in | L × W × H mm | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-MX10 | 750–1,000 | 150 | 1.1 / 1.5 / 2.2 kW | DN 25 (1″) | DN 40 (1.5″) | 895 × 510 × 712 | 75 kg |
| E-MX50 | 5,000 | 1,500 | 3 / 4 kW | DN 40 (1.5″) | DN 50 (2″) | 1005 × 560 × 1288 | 120 kg |
| E-MX100 | 9,000–18,000 | 2,500 | 5.5 / 7.5 kW | DN 50 (2″) | DN 100 (4″) | 1600 × 840 × 1027 | 190 kg |
Outlet DN 40 / DN 50 standard, other sizes and chamber designs to suit the application.
Design and Construction
What Changes in Your Plant
Typical Products for the E-MX Powder/Liquid Mixer
Liquid/liquid mixing · Emulsifying · Dispersing · Homogenising
Micromix In-Line Mixer for Liquid/Liquid Mixing and Emulsions
A three-stage rotor-stator in the pipeline: tight emulsions and dispersions in a single pass, with no foam and no air pockets.
Micromix and its rotor and stator tooth rings.
1 pass
air-free emulsion or dispersion
3 stages
suction, mechanical and hydraulic shear
air-free
no foam, no oxidation
DIN · SMS · clamp
hygienic connections
Three Shear Stages in One Housing
Micromix sits in the pipeline or on a tank loop. In the first stage the rotor acts as a pump impeller and draws liquid and any solids into the head with very little air. In the second stage intermeshing rows of rotor and stator teeth shear the material in a narrow gap: lumps break, solids disperse and oil droplets split. In the third stage the product is forced through the holes of a perforated stator, where hydraulic shear brings droplets and particles down toward the micron range before the blend leaves the outlet.
Micromix in-line mixer, three-stage shear: suction and intake, mechanical shear, hydraulic shear.
Technical Data
| Item | Micromix |
|---|---|
| Mixing principle | Three-stage rotor-stator |
| Capacity | Sized to product and line |
| Materials | AISI 316L contact / AISI 304 other |
| Connections | DIN 11851, SMS or tri-clamp |
| Cleaning | CIP / SIP without dismantling |
| Options | Special materials, ATEX motor |
Typical Comparison
| Measure | In-tank agitator | Micromix |
|---|---|---|
| Mixing time | 30–90 min | One pass / minutes |
| Air uptake | High; foam | Minimal |
| Energy | High | Low |
| Particle size | Coarse / variable | Micron range |
| Integration | Fixed in tank | Flexible inline |
| CIP / SIP | Often limited | Compatible |
Installation Options
Single pass. In the transfer line between mixing tank and buffer tank or filler.
Recirculation. On a tank loop for several passes and the tightest droplet size.
In series. Two units for very fine emulsions at high flow.
Fed by a pump. For viscous products a feed pump keeps the head flooded.
Why Micromix
Typical Products for the Micromix In-Line Mixer
Mixer · Dispersing · Emulsifying · Homogenising · Powder/liquid · Liquid/liquid
Vertical Mixer: Top-Entry Batch High Shear Mixer
High shear inside your own tank: disperse, emulsify and homogenise batches with one mixer and a set of interchangeable workheads.
PT-VM5 side view: IE3 motor, three-rod cage, two propellers and slotted workhead.
3,000 rpm
rotor speed, VFD controlled
2 in 1
workhead plus two propellers
4 stators
change the shear in minutes
316L
contact parts, CIP in the tank
A High Shear Mixer for Your Own Tank
PT-VM5 is lowered into a process tank from the top and turns it into a high shear mixing vessel. It disperses powders, builds emulsions and homogenises creams and sauces batch by batch, with no external loop, pump or extra piping. The rigid cage needs no bottom bearing, so nothing sits in the product that is hard to clean.
Workhead set: rotor, round-hole, perforated and slotted stators
Four-blade rotor in a disintegrating stator
PT-VM5 pair with IE3 motors
PT-VM5 in a process tank: the propellers push product to the workhead and the jets keep the whole batch moving.
How PT-VM5 Works in the Tank
Bulk turnover. Two pitched propellers on the shaft push product down the cage toward the head, so the whole tank keeps moving.
High shear. The rotor pulls product into the workhead, shears it against the stator and fires jets toward the tank bottom and walls.
Powder and oil phase. Powders go onto the drawn-down surface near the shaft; oil is dosed slowly into the shear zone to build a fine emulsion.
Right workhead. Round holes for coarse disintegration, slots for general dispersing, a fine perforated screen for emulsions and the smallest droplets.
Mounting. Off center on the tank cover, or on a lift stand for several open vessels.
Design Data
| Item | PT-VM5 |
|---|---|
| Mixer type | Top-entry rotor-stator with a rigid three-rod cage; no bottom bearing |
| Rotor speed | Up to 3,000 rpm at 50 Hz; variable frequency drive |
| Workhead | Four-blade rotor; interchangeable stator; two axial propellers |
| Sizing | Pilot to production tanks; shaft and power matched to volume and viscosity |
| Materials and seal | AISI 316L contact parts, food-grade elastomers; single or double mechanical seal |
| Options | Vacuum, pressure or jacketed tank; anchor/scraper, ATEX motor, lift stand |
Built into Protrus Tanks
For sauces, dressings, creams and gels PT-VM5 is paired with a slow anchor agitator with scrapers. The anchor keeps a viscous batch turning and clears the heated wall; the vertical mixer supplies the shear. The same tank can work under vacuum for air-free products and is cleaned in place with the mixer running.
Process tank with PT-VM5 and a scraper anchor agitator: the anchor moves viscous product off the wall, PT-VM5 does the shearing.
Typical Products for the PT-VM5 Vertical Mixer
Cutting · Homogenising · Dispersing · Emulsifying
Microcut: Rotor-Stator Cutting Mill for Smooth Pastes
From coarse pieces to a fluid, smooth texture in a single pass, with tungsten cutting edges that stay sharp for years.
Microcut with sanitary inlet and open rotor-stator cutting set.
3,000 rpm
cutting rotor speed
tungsten
cutting edges with very low wear
batch · inline
same cutting technology, two layouts
CIP / SIP
food-grade stainless steel
Why a Cutting Mill Instead of a Mixer
Particles that are hard, fibrous or crystalline are too tough for a standard dispersing head. Reduced too little, they make the product grainy, cause separation and block filler nozzles. Microcut is built for exactly this duty. Its cutting rotor turns at 3,000 rpm inside a fine slotted cutting ring; the knives cut, the gap shears and the slots press the material through, so seeds, nut fragments, meat fibers and crystals end up as a smooth, homogeneous paste. The cutting edges are tungsten, which keeps the cut sharp and the fineness constant far longer than stainless or hardened steel blades.
Microcut cutting and size reduction: coarse feed, cut and sheared, smooth paste; batch and inline layouts.
Microcut Batch Model (Tank Type)
Mixing tank and cutting set in one unit. Ingredients are premixed in the hopper tank, then cut in the rotor-stator section and sent to the filler when the batch is ready.
Best for: Recipe batches, small to medium volumes; Nut butters, tahini, hummus; Pilot plants and R&D.
Microcut Inline Model (Continuous)
Installed in an existing line and fed by a pump. Product passes the cutting set once and reaches the next station homogeneous, without stopping the line.
Best for: 24/7 lines at fixed capacity; Sauces, ketchup, mayonnaise; Fertilizer and other suspensions.
Batch and Inline Comparison
| Criterion | Batch Model | Inline Model |
|---|---|---|
| Production | Batch; flexible recipes | Continuous; fixed line capacity |
| Hourly capacity | Determined by tank volume | Fixed and high |
| Typical viscosity | High: tahini and pastes | Medium to high: sauces and suspensions |
| Integration | Stand-alone unit | Existing process line |
Typical Products for the Microcut Cutting Mill
Applications by Industry
Typical products and formulations for equipment selection.
Dairy
Recombined milk, ice cream mixes and cultured drinks.
E-MX for powder wetting; Micromix for liquid blends.
Food & beverage
Sauces, spreads and hydrocolloid systems.
PT-VM5 for batch emulsions; Microcut for smooth pastes.
Chemical & petrochemical
Pigments, polymers and mineral suspensions.
Choose the workhead and materials for the formulation.
Biotechnology
Media, buffers, proteins and bio-actives.
Select contact materials and cleaning configuration for the process.
Personal care
Creams, gels, shampoos and other surfactant products.
E-MX for powder induction; PT-VM5 for creams and gels.
Pharmaceutical
Syrups, topical products and emulsion applications.
Workhead and process parameters are matched to the product.
Equipment and product images are illustrative.
Frequently Asked Questions About High Shear Mixers
Have a question about powder wetting, emulsions or pastes? Ask our process engineers.
Get a Quote
Size a Mixer for Your Process
Send us your product, batch size or flow rate, viscosity, powder share and target texture. Protrus engineers select the machine, workhead and drive, and can run product trials before you invest.
Prefer email? info@protrus.com