Here at Hockmeyer, we have spent more than 80 years developing and pioneering cutting-edge wet grinding and dispersion solutions for the manufacturing industry, both here in the U.S. and around the world. In that time, we have earned a global reputation of which we are extremely proud: one of superior product quality, high efficiency, and client-oriented innovation.

Our patents—now 15 in total—have played a vital role in maintaining our industry-leading position and setting important benchmarks.

Hockmeyer’s Legacy of Innovation

Since the Industrial Revolution, patenting and innovation have been closely linked. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), “Patents recognize and reward inventors for their commercially successful inventions.”

Patenting our technology has enabled us to serve as leading innovators in our field, reinvesting funds into researching and developing new solutions so that we can drive our sector forward.

With each new solution, we build on our previous patents. This has created a pipeline for breakthrough projects and led to our current position as a world-leading, trusted partner for clients seeking advanced milling solutions.

The Concept of “Piggybacking” in Patent Development

“Piggybacking” is a colloquial term for building on an existing patent, whether it’s yours or another individual’s or organization’s patent. Here at Hockmeyer, we aim to build on our existing patents with each new one we develop.

By using our patented technology as a foundation for new advancements, we can better identify long-term trends and needs within the milling industry and address them more effectively for our current and future clients. In other words, piggybacking is the difference between creating an entirely new system and improving upon a successful existing concept. In this way, it is far more efficient.

The Benefits of Piggybacking on Patents

From a technical perspective, piggybacking enables faster research and development (R&D) by refining and improving upon known systems rather than starting from scratch.

From an economic perspective, it reduces risk while enabling us to deliver incremental yet impactful upgrades.

From a client perspective, piggybacking provides our end users with consistent, proven quality combined with cutting-edge enhancements.

The Evolution of Hockmeyer’s Patents

At Hockmeyer, we are proud to have registered several groundbreaking patents that showcase the progressive innovation for which we are known. For example, our Original Immersion Mill—patented in 1993—created a new gold standard in milling technology. We built on this design further, refining and improving it, until we re-patented it under its new name of the HCP Immersion Mill in 1997. Since then, five further upgrades have been added and patented, the most recent being just ten years ago in 2014.

That same year, we introduced our NexGen™ Vacuum Recirculation Mill. The first machine of its class to be developed and patented, the NexGen™ achieves particle size reduction using fast recirculation of the feedstock through the milling chamber while under vacuum. We patented a series of improvements to the NexGen™ three years later and then, in 2020, we brought the NexGen™ Vacuum Rotor-Stator to market.

Each of our major patents evolved directly from earlier designs, aiming to improve our products’ efficiency, functionality, or user-friendliness. With each new patent, we had the opportunity to address emerging challenges, such as novel raw materials and today’s ever-present sustainability concerns.

How Hockmeyer Adds Value Through Innovation

Here at Hockmeyer, we believe we add value through continued innovation in three key ways: taking calculated risks, putting our clients first in all we do, and centering efficiency and productivity in each iteration of our machines.

Risk-Taking in Design and Development

Innovation involves some inherent degree of risk-taking. We believe in using our knowledge and expertise to take calculated and considered risks.

We aim to address today’s industry needs and anticipate future needs by identifying gaps and opportunities in current technologies. Hockmeyer innovations and features that were once experimental, from vacuum and recirculation to optimized mixing protocols that save energy, have since become industry standards.

We are particularly proud of our customer testing-applications lab. In this crucial R&D environment, we can test out bold ideas and minimize risk before launching our innovations on a wider stage.

Client-Oriented Approach to Innovation

At Hockmeyer, our clients are at the heart of everything we do. We collaborate closely with our clients to understand their needs and pain points, and our engineers tailor their designs based on client feedback and process evaluations.

Training and ongoing support are a vital part of our client relationships, and we are continuously striving to improve to ensure that our clients can achieve the very best return possible on their equipment investment.

Creating and Adding Value Through Efficiency and Productivity

We strive to save our clients money with our machines, and many of our innovations are specifically designed to lower costs by, for example, using less energy or requiring less maintenance.

Our approach to progressive patents helps to meet modern demands and to keep up with changing norms, such as faster production cycles and the use of environmentally friendly materials that are now becoming standard.

In addition, it is easy to integrate progressive patented technologies into existing production lines. Each upgrade is designed to slot in seamlessly, making our clients’ lives easier and minimizing disruption and costly downtime.

A Commitment to Innovation

We have been committed to progressive development since our inception, and we remain dedicated to this ideal today. By piggybacking on our previous patents, we are ideally positioned to focus on continuous and client-centered innovation.

Our machines set new industry benchmarks for efficiency, productivity, and overall quality through expert-led industry foresight, calculated risk-taking, and a commitment to adding value.

To learn more about how our tailored solutions can assist you with your milling, mixing, and dispersion challenges; to schedule a consultation; or to request a no-obligation demo of any of our patented technologies, please contact the Hockmeyer team today.