The process of combining and blending different materials in order to get a homogenous mixture is called mixing. There are many different types of mixing equipment capable of quality mixing. The mixing process is essential for many industries, because a homogenous mixture with specific weight, size, volume, color, texture and other similar attributes is required. For example, agitators and mixers are needed in the pharmaceutical industry for blending the ingredients of a drug with other ingredients. Or in the food industry, agitators and mixers are used for preparing cake mix, and also to combine various spices and flavors. Terms blending and mixing are often used interchangeably, but in fact, they are quite different processes. Blending is a process that combines all the materials and it is more gentle when compared with mixing.
The quality of the finial product depends greatly on the mixing process. Improper mixing can easily result in non-homogenous products that lack the required consistency and come without the desired size, color, texture or flavor. Because of the wide availability of agitators and mixers on the market today, it is important to pay close attention to the design, parts availability and material agitators and mixers are made from. In order to ensure effective mixing results, proper agitator mixer is needed. The most efficient and effective agitator on the market provides short batch cycle time, less operational costs, lower power consumption, exceptional flexibility and is easy to maintain.
As we’ve mention earlier, there are many different types of mixing equipment with different specifications and configurations. The three main categories of mixing equipment are: agitators, blenders and heavy-duty mixers.
Agitators
The agitator is most commonly used machine for mixing liquid with liquid and for mixing liquid with gas. A machine like the agitator mixer can be used for many other processes as well. The agitator mixer is the most popular mixer in all industries because it provides effective mixing results. A typical agitator has a propeller, also known as impeller, located on a shaft which is attached on the motor. The mixing process with agitator is performed by quick turnings of the impeller. The impeller of the agitator mixer can be axial or radial, depending on the angle of the blade. An axial flow impeller is used when the angle of the blade needs to be less than 90°, while radial flow impeller is parallel to the axis, so it discharges the flow along the radius of the impeller.
Blenders
Blenders are always related to kitchen, cooking or food industry, but they are also used in many industries that need solid material blending. There are many types of agitators and mixers recommended for blending bulk solids. A buyer can choose an agitator mixer by specifying the mechanism of mixing. Blenders can be classified as: tumbler, convective and fluidization blenders.
Heavy-Duty Mixers
The final category of agitators and mixers is represented by the heavy-duty mixers. These agitators and mixers are generally used for high-viscosity and pasty materials. They provide very high drag force and can mix the heaviest compounds of a homogenous mixture. The heavy-duty agitators and mixers come in different types and sizes such as double arm mixers, planetary mixers and dual or triple shaft mixers.
