Apparatus for reducing the size of and/or for mixing solid, pasty and/or liquid material

An apparatus for reducing the size of, and/or for mixing, solid, pasty and/or liquid material, said apparatus comprising:

• a cylindrical housing having an inner surface and a central axis;
• at least one grinding roller, each of which cooperates with said inner surface of said housing;
• each grinding roller also has a central axis, with each grinding roller being rotatable about its central axis and eccentrically relative to said central axis of said housing;
• each grinding roller has two opposed end faces, each of which is provided with an axle end that is disposed on said central axis of that grinding roller;
• two bearing disks, that are rotatably driven about said central axis of said housing, with each grinding roller being disposed between said bearing disks;
• drive wheels respectively rotatably mounted on one of said bearing disks, with each of said axle ends being guided, with play, between two drive wheels in such a way that when said bearing disks rotate, said drive wheels rotatably drive said grinding rollers, which are pressed by centrifugal force against said inner surface of said housing;
• and
• at least one guide ring provided on said housing for guiding each grinding roller in a direction parallel to its central axis;
• each of said guide rings has at least one guide surface that extends at an angle to said central axis of said housing, and each guide roller is provided with correspondingly inclined contact surface means that cooperate with said guide surfaces to effect said axial guidance of said guide rollers.