An agitated or mixing vessel is more than a volume in stainless steel: the geometry affects flow and drainage, the connections have to suit the plant, internals must not obstruct the process, and the surfaces can decide cleaning and product quality.
stainlesstec makes customer-specific agitated, mixing and dosing vessels to drawing and CAD data – from the single process vessel to a largely completed system component with agitator, instrumentation and further internals.
Agitated vessels · mixing vessels · dosing vessels · stainless steel · small batches and one-off builds
The process defines the vessel
Diameter and volume alone are rarely enough to plan production. What matters is what happens inside the vessel: is the product merely held, or actively mixed? Does heat have to go in or come out? Does the vessel have to drain completely? Are there product-contact areas with particular requirements? Which components will be added later?
From that follow the requirements for:
vessel geometry and bottom shape
connections and nozzles
agitator mounting
internals
heating or cooling surfaces
measuring points
surface
weld execution
drainability
testing and documentation
Good vessel manufacturing therefore begins with understanding the application.
Agitated vessels: when movement is part of the process
Vessel and agitator technology have to fit together by design. The relevant points are:
agitator mounting for the safe integration of the intended drive
mounting position – central, side-entry or to your own design
vessel geometry to suit the process and the impeller
reinforcements and connections for the loads involved and for further process components
measuring and sensor technology, for temperature or level, for instance
Process vessels can be supplied as a complete system component, agitator, instrumentation and control panel included. The process engineering of the mixing duty stays with the responsible plant builder or designer – we take care of putting it into production.
Mixing vessels: geometry and build quality work together
In mixing processes the internal geometry plays an important part. Internals, connection positions and transitions not only have to work in production terms, they have to match the specified design exactly.
Hygienically demanding applications add:
readily cleanable internal surfaces
clean transitions
defined welds
a specified roughness
suitable materials
complete drainability
We therefore define internal surfaces and product-contact areas unambiguously before production starts.
Dosing and feed vessels
Smaller process vessels are demanding to make as well. Dosing and feed vessels often need precise connections, defined outlets, sensor mountings, brackets, lids, flanges and customer-specific internals.
In compact vessels in particular, a great many functions sit in very little space. That makes it all the more important to coordinate welding sequence, accessibility and assembly.
Heating and cooling
Many processes need controlled temperature management. Depending on the design, we build vessels with:
a heating or cooling jacket
a double jacket
welded-on temperature control surfaces
pipe or channel structures
matching inlets and outlets
You supply the thermal and structural design; we realise it with welding and manufacturing under full control.
Round, rectangular or bespoke
Not every process vessel has to be cylindrical. Depending on the installation, round or rectangular vessels, conical sections, asymmetric transitions and special geometries can all make sense.
With laser cutting, CNC bending, roll bending and a range of welding processes, these geometries come out of one coordinated chain. Your design does not have to fit a standard range.
Connections and internals
It is the interfaces that turn a vessel into a process component. Depending on the project, we integrate:
flanges, nozzles and pipe connections
inlet and outlet areas
agitator mountings
sensor connections
fixing points and brackets
lids
customer-specific internals
Having every component present is not enough on its own: position, orientation and welding sequence all have to be right if the vessel is to fit the plant later.
Product-contact surfaces
In food, pharmaceutical and other process applications the surface is part of the technical specification. Roughness, grit, grinding direction, weld execution, transitions and post-treatment all matter – as does stating unambiguously which areas are in product contact.
We process stainless steel in a segregated production area and produce high-grade surfaces and welded assemblies within a single chain. For hygienically demanding applications that saves handovers between several workshops.
Welding as the key capability
Vessel building is welding to a very large degree. Long seams, differing plate thicknesses, nozzles and internals all put heat and stress into the structure. Welding sequence, heat input, clamping, distortion and weld dressing therefore belong in the production plan.
Qualified specialist welders do this work using TIG, MIG and mechanised longitudinal seam welding. For qualified applications, welding quality assurance to DIN EN ISO 3834-3 is available.
When the vessel is under pressure
Agitated and process vessels may run at atmospheric pressure or be built as pressure equipment. With pressure applications the requirements change considerably: material, design, welding process, testing and documentation then follow the applicable code.
For projects like these we hold the manufacturer qualification AD 2000 HP 0 in conjunction with DIN EN ISO 3834-3. What applies in a given case we establish per project from pressure, volume, medium, temperature and design – more on this on the Pressure & process vessels page.
From sheet metal to system component
A typical project runs through several stages:
review the CAD data and drawing
cut and form the plate
make shell, bottom and lid
fit nozzles and internals
weld and, where needed, straighten
finish the surface
fit the agitator, instrumentation or other components
test and document
Many individual parts thus become a process component that is largely ready to install.
Typical applications
Food processing technology
Agitated, mixing and feed vessels for production, dosing and processing duties.
Many process vessels are customer-specific and are still needed again later – for another production line or a plant variant.
With CAD-based production planning and defined manufacturing data, a design developed once can be built again repeatably or adapted under control. That combines the flexibility of bespoke vessel building with the advantages of structured small-batch production.
What we need for your enquiry
drawing or STEP data
vessel dimensions and volume
material
wall thicknesses
medium
operating pressure and temperature
agitator and agitator mounting
connections and nozzles
internals
heating or cooling function
surface requirements
product-contact areas
drainability and cleaning requirements
testing requirements
documentation required
quantity
The sooner these details are available, the better the production route can be judged.
Your process sets the requirements. We build the vessel for it.
Do you need an agitated, mixing or dosing vessel to your own design? Send us the drawing and the technical specification.
Together with you we will review material, production sequence, welding, surface and the testing required.
Let’s talk about your project.
Send us your drawing or CAD data by email – together with material, batch size and your requirements. We will come back to you with a sound assessment.
