Ins and Outs: The Concrete Central Mixer and More

If you’ve followed General Chipping long enough, you know that we recommend booking concrete chipping every three months for a crew’s concrete central mixer. But, how much do you know about those mixers? The truth is, there are many options out there — options tailored to specific job types and preferences. Let’s take a look at the various mixer types and their primary functions.

The Continuous Mixer
Continuous mixers, as the name suggests, produce concrete by being fed raw material continuously through an intake. They then mix the material and, using a discharge mechanism, dispense the completed product so concrete crews can get to work. This mixing and dispensing process takes place throughout the project’s duration, ensuring an ongoing flow of concrete to the crew. You’ll most often spot this type of mixer at work on large-scale construction projects.

The Batch Mixer
As you might have gathered, batch mixers produce concrete one batch at a time. They feature blades that, when in rotation, mix the concrete, which can then be poured out for use. These mixers, which are most common on small- to medium-sized projects, come in two varieties:

• The Drum Mixer: A drum that features a double-conical shape. It may feature either a single set or multiple set of blades to mix and discharge the concrete. There are three types of drum mixers.
  • Tilting Drum Mixers can tilt upward during concrete preparation, and then downward when the time comes to dispense the product. The drum for this mixer type is closed on one end and can handle a steady workload.
  • Non-Tilting Drum Mixers rotate on a horizontal axis. They have an opening at both ends — one side for adding the concrete mix ingredients, and the other side to dispense the prepared mix. Blades help in the extraction process, as the mix is extruded through a chute.
  • Reverse Drum Mixers have an opening at both ends — one side for ingredients to be fed in, and the other side to dispense the mixture. They also feature two sets of blades. One set helps mix the concrete when it is rotating one way, while the other set of blades helps to discharge the prepared mix.
• The Pan Mixer: Cylindrical in shape, pan mixers feature blades arranged much like a star — and scrapers to prevent the mix from sticking. Such mixers can feature either a fixed pan with rotating blades, or fixed blades with a pan that rotates to carry out the mixing.

Whether your drums are stationary or on the move — ready to serve on small construction sites or large — it’s important to keep up with routine maintenance. Regular central mixer cleaning — and chipping for your other drums, too — ensures your equipment will remain healthy and working well for you. If you have questions on any of this, or if you’re overdue for concrete chipping, feel free to contact us. Our trained staff is here to help keep your crew ready to roll!