Confused about which blender to choose for your custom blender? You are not alone. It turns out that many of our clients have the same concerns, and rightly so, because it's one of the most important decisions you'll have to make. This is because mixer agitator configuration has a lot to do with minimizing mixing time, ensuring efficient evacuation at discharge, and optimizing mixing.
The good news is we've got you covered. At Marion Process Solutions, we have over 80 years of experience designing mixers to help you make the right choice. Here are some helpful tips to guide you:
paddle mixer
Specially designed for scooping, lifting and tumbling, the paddle mixer has a gentle yet thorough mixing action ideal for mixing solids or liquids of various particle sizes, densities and viscosities. When blended, the material moves in a 3D figure-8 pattern. The material is continuously pulled from the end of the mixer to the middle of Figure 8, where the most vigorous mixing action occurs. Another benefit of paddle mixers is that they work efficiently when filling levels are only 20% of their rated capacity, allowing for batch size flexibility. The paddle agitator also makes cleaning between batches easier.
paddle mixer
Ribbon Mixer
Twin ribbon mixers can perform a variety of mixing operations. These mixers are ideal for free-flowing materials of the same size, shape and density. The greater shear of the ribbon mixer may also be beneficial for mixing with small agglomerates. Ribbon mixers are designed for thorough end-to-end mixing, with the inner screw pushing the product away from the spout and the outer screw pulling the material back into the spout. The positions of each helix differ by 180 degrees. Here, the mixing action occurs by scrubbing the material itself back and forth. The additional helix of the double ribbon provides double the mixing action of the single ribbon mixer. Continuous strips are preferred over segmented strips because the internal and external threads form a continuous helix from the end plate to the vent. Segmented ribbons extend only from spoke to spoke, creating gaps in flight, interrupting product flow and creating pockets of retained material.
Ribbon Mixer
mixer
The blender blender combines the tumbling action of the paddle with the rolling pattern of the ribbon to create a double inversion effect. These mixer agitators are especially effective on materials that tend to build up in the center of the mixer, resulting in more uniform product levels throughout the mixer. Depending on the application, the mixer can be internally or externally configured with paddles or ribbons.
mixer
While the exact mixing time does vary by application, regardless of the mixer chosen, a general rule of thumb is to average 3-7 minutes (after adding the last ingredient), depending on the volume mixed. Selecting the correct agitator configuration for your application is critical to optimizing mixing, minimizing mixing time and ensuring efficient evacuation at discharge.
If you're tired of compromising your application needs, contact one of our experts to learn more about how we can customize a solution for you. Subscribe to our blog to keep getting our updates.