You can find them nearly everywhere. They are all around us in various places such as filling stations, motorway service stations or in universities. Drink vending machines lead unobtrusive lives. When a coin is put in, they begin to buzz and whirr. Seconds later they dispense the required drink without the customer being aware of the process which is involved. The cocktail machine which is described in this article gives an insight and an impression of the other side of process automation. Just as with a conventional vending machine, with the cocktail machine everything starts with the push of a button. However, the result which follows is completely different. Normally, the workgroup of Prof. Hans-Ulrich Moritz at the Institute for Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry (University of Hamburg) carry out research into chemical reactions, so-called polymerizations, which are industrially relevant processes and a part of chemical reaction engineering. The combination of these process technologies into an illustrative exhibit for young and old was the motivation for the creation of the cocktail machine.
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