Readco Kurimoto, LLC has been a trusted resource in continuous process technology since 1906 — over a century of engineering expertise in continuous mixing, reacting, drying, evaporating, and compounding. Headquartered in York, Pennsylvania, and engineered and built entirely in the United States, Readco designs high-performance continuous processors and mixers that shift production from large-volume, low-efficiency batch operations to compact, automated continuous systems that deliver dramatically better product consistency, higher throughput, lower labor costs, and less floor space.

Trotter Equipment represents Readco across Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Working cooperatively with Readco’s engineering team, we evaluate your mixing and processing challenges and identify the right continuous processing solution for your specific materials, viscosities, and production requirements — from initial concept through lab testing, installation, commissioning, and beyond.

Why Continuous Processing?

Continuous processing offers fundamental advantages over batch mixing that translate directly to improved product quality and a faster return on investment. A continuous system runs 24/7, producing material in an uninterrupted stream rather than in discrete batches — eliminating the batch-to-batch variability, manual loading steps, and idle time inherent to traditional batch operations. Key advantages include:

• More consistent product — Loss-in-weight feeders and pumps deliver raw materials at precise, constant ratios, eliminating the variation associated with manual batch loading and ensuring uniform finished product quality across every hour of production
• Higher throughput in less space — A continuous processing system produces substantially more product per square foot of floor space than a batch operation of equivalent capacity, by eliminating surplus equipment and reducing material storage and staging requirements
• Lower labor costs — Continuous processing eliminates many of the manual loading, weighing, and handling steps involved in batch mixing, delivering higher output per labor hour
• Enhanced safety — The fully enclosed design of the Continuous Processor eliminates the need to open the mixing chamber to add ingredients, reducing exposure to moving components, dust, and hazardous materials
• Reduced environmental impact — Dust and airborne contaminants are contained inside the processor, keeping the work area clean and eliminating fugitive emissions associated with open batch mixing vessels
• Less waste — Because a continuous processor works on a small quantity of material at any given time, material losses from a processing error are minimized compared to scrapping an entire batch
• Fewer process steps — A single Continuous Processor performs multiple operations — mixing, reacting, kneading, crystallizing, evaporating, compounding — that would otherwise require multiple pieces of separate equipment
• Proven before purchase — Every solution is validated in Readco’s Process Development Laboratory before equipment is purchased, confirming performance and eliminating risk

Readco Equipment

Readco manufactures four core product lines, each custom-engineered for your specific materials, viscosities, temperatures, and process requirements:

Continuous Processor (CP)

Readco’s flagship product and the foundation of their product line. The Continuous Processor has been serving a wide range of industries for over 60 years and is the preferred solution for high-performance mixing of multiple dry materials with multiple liquids in a single, continuous, enclosed operation. Twin co-rotating screws precisely meter and intensively mix materials as they pass through the barrel, producing a homogenous output at the discharge end in a constant stream.

The Continuous Processor handles an exceptional range of viscosities — from low-viscosity aqueous systems to extremely high-viscosity materials up to one million centipoise, which is considered light duty in this machine. Indirect heating or cooling jackets are available for temperature-sensitive applications. Sanitary construction options include USDA and 3A certification for food and pharmaceutical applications. The Continuous Processor can also perform drying, evaporation, and chemical reactions in addition to mixing — replacing multiple pieces of process equipment with a single unit.

Representative applications include: cheese, chocolate, chewing gum, nutrition bars, peanut butter, crystallization, catalysts, polymerization, composites, pesticide and herbicide production, roof coatings, caulk, synthetic stone and brick, gypsum board, loaded polyurethane foam, sealants, adhesives, silicones, battery electrode slurries, ceramics, rubber compounding, pigment encapsulation, flavor encapsulation, brake lining, molding compounds, and powdered metals.

• RK1 Lab-Size Continuous Processor — Bench-scale version of the production Continuous Processor for process development, feasibility testing, and small-batch specialty applications. Allows direct scale-up to production equipment with confidence.

Continuous Hybrid Reactor (CHR)

An innovative continuous processing machine that uses heat and deep vacuum simultaneously to perform complex chemical reactions, devolatilization, and drying operations that cannot be achieved in a conventional mixer or reactor. The Continuous Hybrid Reactor combines the mixing intensity of the Continuous Processor with precise temperature and vacuum control to drive reactions to completion, remove volatile solvents, strip residual monomers, and dry materials to very low moisture levels — all in a single continuous pass. Designed for applications in specialty chemicals, adhesives, sealants, polymers, and advanced materials where conventional batch reactors are too slow, too large, or unable to achieve the required product specifications.

Self-Contained Processor (SC Processor)

A compact, self-contained continuous drying and devolatilization system for processing slurries and wet materials into dried, finished product in a single pass. The Self-Contained Processor is particularly well-suited for applications where a slurry or paste must be dried to a low residual moisture level and then discharged as a free-flowing powder or granule. The enclosed design prevents contamination and controls emissions. Ideal for drying filter cakes, crystallizer outputs, and wet chemical intermediates in pharmaceutical, specialty chemical, and industrial applications.

Containerized Batch Mixer (CBM)

Readco’s revolutionary approach to batch mixing for dry powder and granule blending operations. The Containerized Batch Mixer eliminates the conventional batch mixer’s biggest inefficiency — the time spent loading, mixing, discharging, and cleaning a fixed mixing vessel. Instead, the mixing is performed directly inside a portable container (IBC tote or drum) that serves as both the mixing vessel and the shipping/storage container. The result is a 50% reduction in mixing cycle time compared to conventional batch mixers, with dramatically simplified product changeover and cleaning. Ideal for small and mid-sized powder blending operations in food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, chemical, and cosmetic manufacturing where multiple products are processed on the same equipment and cleaning validation is critical.

Industries Served

Readco Kurimoto continuous processors are trusted by manufacturers across a wide range of demanding processing industries:

• Food & Confectionery — Cheese, chocolate, chewing gum, peanut butter, nutrition bars, caramel, hard candy, bakery fillings, fruit preparations, processed meat, flavor encapsulation. Sanitary USDA and 3A construction options available
• Pet Food & Care — Wet and dry pet food formulations, extruded treats, animal nutrition products. FDA FD&C Act compliant sanitary construction for safe, hygienic processing
• Pharmaceutical & Nutraceutical — Dry mass granulation, wet granulation, API compounding, tablet coating dispersions, nutraceutical blending. FDA, ASME, ASTM, and USDA compliant construction available
• Chemical — Crystallization, catalysts, polymerization, composites, pesticide and herbicide production, pigment encapsulation, high-shear chemical reactions with precise formulation control and reduced reaction times
• Battery & Energy — Lithium-ion battery electrode slurries, solid-state battery materials, lead-acid battery paste, battery cathode and anode processing without metal entrainment using alternative mixing chamber materials
• Sealants, Adhesives & Coatings — Silicones, caulks, resins, epoxies, polyurethanes, hot-melt adhesives, roof coatings, and other high-viscosity formulations requiring precise shear control and excellent dispersion
• Building Products — Gypsum board, roof coatings, caulk, synthetic stone and brick, grout, loaded polyurethane foam, construction adhesives, and other tough building material applications
• Rubber — Rubber compounding, dispersion of carbon black and fillers, elastomer processing requiring high-shear mixing and uniform filler distribution
• Ceramics — Ceramic powder processing, slip preparation, uniform dispersion and precise material consistency for technical and advanced ceramic formulations including slurries and extrudable pastes
• Plastics & Polymers — Plastic compounding, additive and filler dispersion, color concentrate mixing, polymer blending, and specialty resin processing
• Cosmetics & Personal Care — Creams, gels, lotions, ointments, and personal care products requiring smooth, uniform formulations with controlled shear and precise ingredient dispersion
• Specialty Materials — Advanced materials, powdered metals, brake lining, molding compounds, specialty coatings, and other custom formulations developed in Readco’s Process Development Laboratory

Services

• Engineering / Design — Application-specific processor sizing, configuration, materials of construction, heating/cooling, and controls engineering for your exact process requirements
• Lab Tests / Process Development Laboratory — Full proof-of-concept testing at Readco’s York, Pennsylvania laboratory before equipment purchase. Validates mixing performance, confirms scale-up parameters, and eliminates process risk
• Install / Commissioning — On-site installation supervision and startup support to ensure your processor is operating correctly from day one
• System Integration — Integration of Readco processors with gravimetric feeders, liquid metering pumps, conveyors, and downstream packaging or process equipment into a complete automated production line
• Repair Service — Expert repair and rebuild services for Readco processors and mixers by Readco’s own technicians with full knowledge of your equipment
• Troubleshooting — Remote and on-site troubleshooting support for process and equipment performance issues

PARTS

• Spare Parts
• Sub-Assembly Replacements
• Mixing Elements & Screw Segments
• Barrel Liners & Wear Components
• Seals, Gaskets & Shaft Components
• Drive Components & Gearboxes

RENTALS

Readco offers scalable and cost-effective equipment rental options for short-term projects, process trials, seasonal production needs, and pilot-scale manufacturing. Rental equipment allows you to evaluate continuous processing in your own facility before committing to a capital purchase.