Mixers are essential machinery essential to a wide range of industrial creating processes. Mixers create solutions, solutions to various problems, from chemical combinations to textural composition resulting in mixture of homogeneously blended components. The result is usually a product of improved quality and extended shelf-life.
Mixers come in a variety of sizes, from bench-top to full industrial, depending on their intended purpose. The most common types of mixers include the planetary horizontal tumble mixer, ribbon, ploughshare and sigma.
Planetary horizontal tumble mixers are commonly used for light-duty applications such as the mixing of moderately viscous pastes. A planetary mixer works on the principle of combining two or more ingredients together at the same speed, in a stationary bowl, while stirring blades rotate inside the bowl at a different speed. This produces a high mixing efficiency, as the entire mass of product is subject to the same mixing action.
Ribbon mixers are mainly used for heavier materials, and are part of a wide range of equipment for dry and wet mixing, pasty and lumpy products and chemicals. In these mixers, the ingredients move between rotating elements and single or double ribbons. The ribbons ensure that the ingredients are constantly moving and are thoroughly and uniformly mixed.
Ploughshare mixers are made in a variety of sizes and are suitable for blending a wide range of products, including powders, pastes, granules and liquids. This type of mixer uses rapid rotary blades to blend and blend the materials at high speeds.
The Sigma Mixer is one of the oldest and most reliable mixing machines, usually made from a vertical vessel, in which a series of paddle-shaped blades rotate relatively slowly. It is therefore particularly appropriate for the mixing of sticky materials, and is also suitable for the production of heat-sensitive products, owing to its gentle mixing actions.
Also popular for mixing machinery are high shear mixers and colloid mills, which are best for the mixing of liquids and semi-solids, and are particularly suitable for mixing, homogenising, dispersing and agglomerating products. High shear mixers are ideal for a range of processes from combining liquids to the breakdown of solids in liquids.
In addition to these mixers, there are also vibratory, motion and ball mill machines. These are often used in the food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, where processes are carried out with exact accuracy, repeatability and speed, as well as with finesse.
Mixing and stirring is an important process in industrial production, and there are many different types of mixing equipment available. Therefore it is important to choose the most suitable one for the job. Different mixers have different features and capabilities, so make sure to check these before purchasing.
