How blenders are made
The blender began as a 1922 soda fountain gadget for mixing malted milkshakes.
- stations
- 7
- things upstream
- 102
- raw sources
- 30
- steps from the ground
- 10
The short version
Vitamix still assembles most of its blenders by hand. Workers slide units along roller lines and drive screws with electric screwdrivers hanging from above, and a machine leaves the line every 34 seconds. Blendtec populates its control boards on a two-lane line in Orem, Utah. Molded jars, steel blades, motors and gaskets all meet in assembly.
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Mold the jar and base
Molten plastic is injected into steel molds to make the jar and the housing for the motor. Jars can also be glass or stainless steel.
Goes in -
Form the blades
Blade sets are shaped from steel, with arms angled to churn food into a whirlpool. Blendtec says it cold-forges its blades.
Goes in -
Populate the control boards
Machines load the circuit boards that run speed settings and preset cycles. Blendtec calls this its most critical and time-intensive step. An elevator and overhead conveyor flip each half-finished board and lower it to a second lane for its other side, with no hands involved.
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Fit motor and controls
An electric motor goes in the base, along with the controls and power cord. At Vitamix this is mostly hand work. Electric screwdrivers hang overhead to apply the right torque, and units slide on rollers from one station to the next.
Goes in -
Seal the blade assembly
A gasket or O-ring sits between the container body and the blade base, so the contents cannot leak.
Goes in -
Stop at quality gates
At set points on the Vitamix line, a physical barrier rises and stays up until a group of checks is complete. Each worker also inspects what the previous station did.
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Box and ship
Blendtec describes small teams that build and box each blender from start to finish. At Vitamix's Strongsville, Ohio plant, about 300 people assemble, pack and ship the machines.
one machine every 34 seconds at Vitamix
Goes in
Worth repeating
- Stephen Poplawski patented his drink mixer in 1922 to make Horlicks malted milkshakes at soda fountains.
- Blades create a whirlpool that pulls solids from top to bottom, so low-powered blenders need some liquid to work.
- Plastic jars scratch and absorb the smell of food, while glass jars are heavier and more stable.
Back to the ground
Follow every input upstream and blender starts as these 30 raw sources.
Everything it is made of See it on the map
Open the whole family tree
Keep walking
Sources
- Blender (appliance)
- Injection moulding
- Vitamix Factory Photos: How Vitamix blenders are made
- Buckeye Built: Vitamix spinning strong for nearly 100 years
- Blendtec Doubles Blender Output with PROMATION-Designed Production Line
- Where are Blendtec Blenders Made
Cite this page: "How blenders are made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/blender