Within a variety of industries (such as fertilizer, food, and pharmaceuticals), chemical blending is a necessary process which oftentimes serves as the crux of production. Being able to properly mix a variety of things, such as preservatives, into the final product can make or break a startup company, as the final quality of the product depends entirely on the quality of the mix. That is why the demand is massive for effective machines to do this work. This article will go over the different types of technology that can be used for this end and in which scenarios they work best.
Blenders
Blenders work best for solid-solid chemical blending. What the final product will be depends entirely on the type of blender you use. There are many types of blenders available for virtually any purpose, but they can dominantly be put into three categories: tumbler blenders, which are commonly found in food production places; convective blenders, which are mostly practical in the sciences, and therefore are commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry; and fluidization blenders, similar to many blenders you find in homes and office spaces.
Agitators
Agitators work best for liquid-liquid and liquid-gas chemical blending. A vessel, which contains the products to be mixed, is held by a pair of impellers, which agitate the vessel by rotation. Just like blenders, there are a variety of functions that can be applied to agitators, such as dispersing gas into liquid or suspending solids in a liquid. The method by which you do agitate the mixture depends on the type of impellers you use, of which there are two. Axial flow impellers are similar to propellers. The blades make an angle less than 90 degrees as they mix, causing the flow to occur along the axis of the impeller. Radial flow impellers, on the other hand, are similar to paddles, where the flow acts parallel to the axis.
Heavy Duty Mixers
Heavy duty mixers are best for the chemical blending of viscous materials. Dissimilar to the other two, heavy duty mixers do not rely on turbulence to do their work. Rather, they rely on sheer force. This is particularly useful for materials that do not act within the bounds of Newtonian physics. The fact that they are more powerful than agitators or blenders also makes heavy duty mixers ideal for continuous use, based on the demands of the producer and overall quality of the finished product. Heavy duty mixers come in all shapes and sizes, but some types include double arm mixers, planetary mixers, and dual/triple shaft mixers.
Choosing the right mixer is more than just an off-hand investment. It can mean the difference between success and failure. This article has hopefully helped you decide the right type for your business.
