Industrial mixers can be found in most manufacturing and processing facilities. It is designed to mix or blend a wide range of materials ranging from liquid, dry, to slurry materials. The most common applications of industrial mixers are used to mix chemicals, foods, minerals, plastics, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, coatings, water, and household products. Mixing is playing a crucial role in the manufacturing process as it can affect the properties of the final product. The main purpose of mixing is to combine two or more materials and make them into a homogeneous state. Improper mixing of materials may result in scrapped products, causing higher production costs and lower profit margins. So it is important for us to understand the types of mixing equipment and their functions when selecting the right mixer for the manufacturing process.
Few parts are included in an industrial mixer, which are blades, screw, shaft, ribbons, motor, propellers, and impellers. Depending on the types of ingredients to be mixed, there are many types of industrial mixers in the market and each type possesses different mixing techniques, processing temperature, mixer configurations, shapes, and operating pressures to carry out certain handling mechanisms. The size of the industrial mixer is also available in a small tabletop size to large production units. The operation process can be either batch mixing or continuous mixing depending on the requirements. In the operation of batch mixing, the mixer is filled with all the ingredients together or in a preset sequence, and then gets blended in a specific amount of time until they are completely mixed. When the mixing is completed, the contents are discharged from the mixer and the mixer is cleaned before refilling another batch of ingredients for the next mixing operation. In a continuous mixing operation, the ingredients are added continuously into the mixer when the mixed content is removed. Not all types of mixers can perform both operations, some types are only suitable for either batch or continuous operation.
Different Types of Industrial Mixer
Ribbon Mixer
The ribbon mixer has helical mixing blades that look like ribbons attached to the horizontal shaft. The outer ribbon blade rotates in one direction and another inner ribbon blade rotates in the opposite direction to work together in breaking up the materials in the mixing vessel. The blades are sharp, long, thin, and the speed is adjustable to meet our desired mixing result. A ribbon mixer is suitable for mixing dry and free-flowing solids such as powders, grains, foods, or liquid-solid combinations. There are a few challenges we should consider when using the ribbon mixer. If the mixer is operating at a higher speed, it generates high shear forces that can damage the particles. Additionally, the mix may not be uniform and consistent throughout the vessel because the level of mixing varies and the greater nearest to the ribbon blades. In this case, the ribbon mixer is required to operate for a long time to achieve desired mixing uniformity which in turn causes a higher operating cost.
Paddle Mixers
The paddle mixer is having the same configuration as the ribbon mixer and is usually used to mix dry particles. It also can be used for slurry mixing or wet-dry mixing. Instead of a ribbon-shaped blade, it has paddle-shaped blades along the horizontal rotating shafts. The design of the dual shafts mixer with pitched paddles can create a folding and kneading over motion inside the trough. It impacts the particles and pushes some onto another shaft while at the same time pushing them towards the one end of the unit. The movement of the blades incorporates a large amount of air into the mixture and the layer of particles is fluidized to promote a better movement in the vessel. Paddle mixer is widely used in industrial applications such as mixing the chemical additives or powders for the production of plaster or adhesive. The advantages of a paddle mixer are its faster mixing time and better mixing uniformity. However, the materials are being pushed toward the same direction may not conducive to uniform mixing.
Static Mixers
The static mixer is also known as the motionless mixer that is used as an inline mixer for mixing high and low viscosity liquids, gases, or slurries. A static mixer is a precision-engineered device that consists of a tube containing molded parts inside. This type of mixer is used for a continuous process to homogenize the fluids without moving parts. The external components, such as pumps or blowers are used to deliver the materials at the specific volumetric flow rate and to generate force or pressure energy for the mixing process. Since there are no moving parts in the static mixer, it requires lesser maintenance and energy consumption. The size of the mixer is ranging from 6mm to 6 m in diameter depending on the application. However, a static mixer is not suitable for mixing powders or solids into liquid as these mixing ingredients may obstruct the flow and block the mixer.
Drum Mixers
The drum mixer can refer to the large drum or the portable drum mixer that is used for in-container mixing applications. It is a broad category that covers many types of mixers including non-tilting mixers, split drum mixers, tilting drum mixers, reversing drum mixers, and drum truck mixers. The drum mixer is commonly used for mixing low to medium viscosities particles in different sizes such as cement, gravel, adhesive slurries, or other food.
Agitators
The agitator is good at mixing one liquid with another. It also can disseminate gases into liquid. An agitator is able to provide extreme shaking and disturbance that can perform an outstanding mixing process. It has agitating rods that can be either stationary or removable, the central agitating blade is used to generate centrifugal force to perform the operation. However, the agitator is not suitable for handling thick or viscous materials.
Emulsifiers
The emulsifier is similar to agitators that can mix two immiscible liquids, but it also does well in mixing thick and viscous materials. It is popular to be used in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries for processing many products such as cream, mayonnaise, milk, oil, ointments, and many more. Emulsifier is effective due to the high shear ability that allows it to create emulsions. Centrifugal forces will be applied in the process to break up large molecules into small molecule sizes, and certain additive or emulsifying agents may be added to achieve emulsification in the final product.
As we know that, mixers are available in a variety of types for handling a wide variation of products, each having its own significant use. By choosing the right industrial mixer for the production process, it can save a lot of money, effort, and time on the operation. MecHero Malaysia provides quality industrial mixers for a wide range of products and manufacturing processes. You can always contact us at +6011-7000 7687 or email us at my.mechero@gmail.com for an inquiry about the industrial mixer in Malaysia. As a steel and online hardware store in Malaysia, we also supply a wide range of steel materials, general hardware, or mechanical components. Tell us your requirements now and we can advise you accordingly.
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