Agitator Mixer. These mixers are devices that employ one or more impellers, mounted to a center shaft, and driven by a motor. The shaft and impellers are placed into the media to be mixed by the rotating impellers, much like a top-fed home blender. Sizes range from small hand-held mixers to large permanently mounted units used in heavy industries, such as mining, pulp and paper, and heavy chemical processes. Design types and materials used depend upon the media being blended.
Things to Consider: Classification of mixing process or system, Volume of fluid to be mixed, Viscosity of fluid, Direct drive versus gear drive, Blend time, Shaft length, Open or closed tank (unpressurized or pressurized), Support structure, Motor coupling construction, Motor electrical requirements, Totally enclosed fan cooled motor, Explosion proof motor, Variable speed option, Dimensions, Weight, Warranty.
Blending Mixers. These mixers consistently blend a wide variety of materials in powder, slurry, or liquid form. They can mix powder with powder, powder with a liquid, or several liquids together, and create a homogeneous product free of agglomerates or lumps. These mixers are available with direct heating jackets or cooling jackets.
Things to Consider: Application, Media type, Media Viscosity, Capacity, Feed rate, Batch or continuous feed, Mounting, Location, Motor speed, Motor power, Variable speed versus fixed speed, Operating temperature, Pressure range, Display type (analog or digital) Local interface (analog or digital).
Dispersion Pump Mixers. These mixers prepare finely dispersed fluids. They employ a series of impellers, rotors, or turbine-like mechanisms, usually ganged in series and closely spaced at very tight tolerances, to shear particle clumps into finer powders. and propel them into the carrier liquid in mixers of various design. They are used in a wide variety of chemical industry applications including the de-agglomeration of polymer resins, the maceration of fermented seaweed, and the dispersion and viscosification of viscosity adding powders. Industrial designs disperse solids into liquids at high flow rates.
Things to Consider: Application, Media type, Media Viscosity, Capacity, Feed rate, Batch or continuous feed, Mounting, Location, Motor speed, Motor power, Variable speed versus fixed speed, Operating temperature, Pressure range, Display type (analog or digital) Local interface (analog or digital).
Sealless Mixers. These mixers are designed to protect the mixer from corrosive, toxic, noxious, radio-active, and carcinogenic liquids, or to protect the media being mixed from contamination by the mixer drive and shaft penetration of the container. The mixer drive and the internal container are isolated from each other. Magnetic drives act as a link between the drive and the agitating mechanism.
Things to Consider: Application; Entry: Top, Bottom, Side; FDA and USDA approved materials; Sterilizable; Leak-proof; Wetted parts material; Impeller design; Surface finish; Mounting method; Variable speed; Speed sensors; Run dry during sterilization, Dimensions, Weight, Warranty.
Solids Mixers. Mixers are classified according to the type of product that they mix: solids or liquids. Solid mixers, also called blenders, employ a random distributive mixing mechanism. These mixers are of three types: tumbling, agitating ribbon, and fluidized bed. The tumbling type is the simplest and least expensive, but cannot handle difficult mixtures due to a tendency toward segregation. Ribbon mixers consist of a moving spiral element which induces connective motion and are good for sticky mixtures. Fluidized bed mixers provide fast mixing, but cannot handle sticky mixtures.
Things to Consider: Application, Media type, Media Viscosity, Capacity, Feed rate, Batch or continuous feed, Mounting, Location, Motor speed, Motor power, Variable speed versus fixed speed, Operating temperature, Pressure range, Display type (analog or digital) Local interface (analog or digital).
Static Mixer. A device for blending two liquid materials. The device consists of mixer elements contained in a cylindrical tube or squared housing. The static mixer elements consist of a series of baffles and a mixer housing. Depending upon the application, components are made from metal or plastic. The mixer operates by delivering two streams of liquids into the static mixer. As the streams move through the mixer, the non-moving elements continuously blend the materials. Quality of mixing depends upon variables such as mixer length, tube inner diameter, and the number of elements.
Things to Consider: Application, Materials, Number of elements, Elements fixed or removable, Surface finished, Housing pipe standard (approval) Connections, Connection method, Sanitary requirements, Dimensions, Weight.
