November 23, 2009

7 Min Read
Mixing & Blending Spotlight - December 2009

Batch Mixer
The Rollo-Mixer Mk 8 batch mixer is a rotary drum mixer designed for uniformly blending dry particulates within two to three minutes. Like all Rollo-Mixers, the Mk 8 creates rivers of material that gently divide and combine the batch several times per revolution, resulting in a quick, gentle, homogeneous blend. However, the unit’s instantaneous discharge capability allows the entire batch to empty completely within seconds. It was originally designed to blend powdered drink mixes with over 11 ingredients uniformly. These fine powder formulas consist of 2- to 3-g additives that are evenly distributed throughout the batch. 100% product discharge is achieved by gravity into packaging containers.
Continental Products Corp., Milwaukee, WI 414-964-0640 www.continentalrollomixer.com

Mixers and Blenders
The Gardner line of mixers and blenders includes mixers, jacketed processors, and double cone blenders in a wide variety of designs and sizes from 10 to 15,000 L to the pharmaceutical, food, and chemical industries. A dedicated mixer or blender design can be provided specific to the requirements, including the ability to offer pressure-coded and explosion shock-resistant options. Gardner Mixers also cater to the GMP requirements of the pharmaceutical user and provide design features such as cantilevered shafts, mechanical seals, and full CIP/WIP capabilities.
Kemutec Powder Technologies, Bristol, PA 215-788-8013 www.kemutec.com

Continuous Blender
The Vibra blender utilizes a combination of a rotating paddle and material fluidization to blend dry solids with the ease of liquids. Gentle controlled vibration of the mixing trough fluidizes ingredients on entry where a cut and fold mixing rotor provides agitation. Materials flow through the blender by gravity, making it completely self-regulating to changes of in-feed rate. The unit’s simple rugged design offers dust-tight operation, easy clean out, and years of maintenance-free operation. It is available in capacities up to 1500 cu ft/hr.
Vibra Screw Inc., Totowa, NJ 973-256-7410 www.vibrascrew.com

Powder Induction and Dispersion System
This new model in the Fastfeed line of powder induction and dispersion systems is designed to double inline powder delivery capabilities, offering controlled feed rates of up to 400 lb/min. The system provides consistent powder delivery even as viscosity and solids levels increase, ensuring that it will never plug or foul. It offers the benefits of an inline, skid-mounted dispersion system that feeds powders and disperses them instantly. It allows processors to add dry ingredients to mix vessels in a more ergonomic fashion, reducing operator injuries and providing the shear required for today’s changing and tougher ingredients, ensuring maximum yield.
Admix, Manchester, NH 800-466-2369 www.admix.com

Inline Miniature Rotary Batch Mixer
This inline miniature rotary batch mixer gently blends batches up to 5 cu ft in parts as small as one per million with complete uniformity in less than three minutes, evacuates the batch with no residual, and can be sanitized rapidly with no tools. The Model 700-TH-5-SS stainless-steel unit features a stationary inlet and outlet for inline operation and a rotating drum with proprietary mixing flights that tumble, turn, cut, and fold material gently. Equally efficient across its useable capacity range of 5 to 0.25 cu ft, the mixer has a batch weight capacity of 500 lb as standard, with higher capacities optional.
Munson Machinery Company, Inc., Utica, NY 800-944-6644 www.munsonmachinery.com

Mixing and Blending Systems
As part of an integrated bulk material handling system, NBE integrated automation brings bulk material mixing and blending operations into the system-wide controls architecture. Mixing and blending control, communication, sensing, monitoring, and reporting are directed to a single, system-wide, menu-driven HMI. This broader control functionality ensures more thorough blends, protects material integrity, reduces cycle times, minimizes operator interaction, and increases data reporting, even when integrating with legacy upstream or downstream systems. The systems are available in 50,000-lb capacity, continuous-duty units to 300 lb-capacity batch units.
National Bulk Equipment Inc., Holland, MI 616-399-2220 www.nbe-inc.com

V and Double-Cone Blenders
V and double-cone blenders are now available in three sizes and most often used for the dry blending of free-flowing solids. The solids being blended in these units can vary in bulk density and in percentage of the total mixture. Materials being blended are constantly being split and intermixed as the shell rotates. Normal cycle times are typically in the range of 15 min, but can be less depending on the difficulty of blending. Blenders in stock include 5-, 10-, and 15-cu-ft models. Features include Type 316 stainless-steel wetted parts.
Charles Ross and Son Co., Hauppauge, NY 800-243-7677 www.mixers.com

Sanitary Mixers
These sanitary mixers offer compact and powerful designs from 5 to 1500 cu ft with options to suit any food, cosmetic, biotech, and pharmaceutical application. The ES series is designed to meet budget constrained projects that require sanitary features such as all stainless-steel construction; a range of high polish finishes with continuous welds that are radiused and ground to finish; and ribbon or paddle agitators with flanged journals for easy removal and cleaning. The Sanimix40 series has additional features including more generously formed radius corners and a cantilevered and inverted-drive mount, which offers superior bearing protection while improving water and cleaning agent shedding capability. Sanitary 80 offers more robust designs for abrasive or high density materials.
S. Howes Inc., Silver Creek, NY 716-934-2611 www.showes.com

Fast, Efficient Mixing
The Bella fluidized zone mixer achieves fast, high-capacity, low-shear, precision mixing of either dry bulk solids or liquids with solids. Regardless of particle size, shape, or density, materials are mixed with a fast, efficient, and gentle action, with typical mixing times of 60 seconds or less. A weightless zone created by low-speed counter rotating shafts generates very low friction without shear. This makes it ideal for fragile products that cannot tolerate rough handling. Even flakes or spray-dried bodies remain intact. The mixer includes twin bomb-bay door openings for fast, efficient discharging and to minimize segregation during discharge. The Bella mixer is available in stainless steel for sanitary applications. Custom sizes, finishes, and materials of construction are available upon request.
Dynamic Air Inc., St. Paul, MN 651-484-2900 www.dynamicair.com

Horizontal Batch Mixer
This mixer is ideal for any powder bulk application. It mixes and disperses in one operation, which results in higher production volume by combining process functions for faster mixing. The combination of the optional chopper motor and the time-tested paddle blade design will produce a superior product mix. Premium, efficient motors and adjustable speed drives save on electric expense. The unit features field-adjustable, bolted paddle blades with a clearance set at .030 from the bottom centerline of the trough. With high-intensity choppers you can reduce product size, incorporate colorants or other minor ingredients, disperse lumps and agglomerates, break up liquid-rich shot balls, open up matted fibrous materials, and disperse pigments.
Marion Mixers, Marion, IA 800-397-6371 www.marionmixers.com

Sanitary Mixer for Baking Ingredients
This 40-cu-ft mixer was designed for toll blending a variety of proprietary food recipes. The ribbon-style agitator is ideal for blending low-density, free-flowing materials. Two inner spirals move the product away from the discharge, while the two outer flightings move the material back toward the actuator-controlled discharge opening. There are no gaps in the flighting to interrupt product flow and create “pockets” of stagnant material. All internal surfaces are ground smooth and polished for easy cleaning. The Type 304 stainless-steel construction is corrosion resistant. The additional high-speed chopper motor was added for size reduction and dispersion of liquids via a spray manifold system with four nozzles.
Lowe Industries, Marion, IA 319-447-9724 www.lowemixers.com

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