Glossary Of Mixers And Mixing Terms
Our range of mixing equipment has dozens of agitators and mixing methods to choose from and according to your specific material and technical requirements you may run into some jargon that may not be part of our commonplace vocabulary.
Please use our Glossary to help assist you in this regard:
ABSORPTION
Penetration of liquid into the structure of a solid
ADSORPTION
Binding of a thin film of liquid to the surface of a solid
AGITATORS
A general or alternate term also used with regard to mixers. The term is normally used in respect of impeller type mixers or top and side entry mixers.
ANCHOR IMPELLER
Contouring a simple paddle impeller to the shape of the tank bottom gives the anchor or “horseshoe” style. Clearance between the impeller blade and the vessel shell is minimal.
ATTRITION
Mechanical breaking action, mostly impact, and especially braking up of particle clusters.
AUGER
A device consisting of a shaft with a spiral ‘blade’ – normally in a tube or other suitable container, that rotates to force material from one end to the other.
AXIAL FLOW
Fluid flow directed axially along the mixer shaft from top to bottom (down-pumping), or from bottom to top (up-pumping) is called axial flow.
BAFFLES
Baffles are vertical mounted strips of metal that serve to reduce deep vortex formation in mixing tanks. The baffles are normally mounted on the sides of the vessel or just away from the walls.
BATCH MIXERS
Such mixers handle batches of materials or product in sequential fashion and mix each batch to the set specification, before swinging over to the second batch vessel and so on.
BATCH-RANGER
A Jones specialized very high intensity rotor-stator mixer to achieve high intensity of dispersion, emulsification and other mixing operations.
BENDING MOMENT
The product of force times distance. Fluid forces are exerted on a mixer shaft at each impeller. The force (Newton) times the distance from the impeller to the lowest shaft bearing (metres) is the bending moment (Non or Newton-metres). For multiple impellers, the shaft bending moment is the sum of the individual bending moments.
BINDER
The component of a coating material that binds the pigment particles (if present) together, and after drying and/or curing, produces a coherent and adherent film.
BLADES
An alternate name for impellers particularly disperser blades.
BLENDERS
Blenders may blend liquid – liquid mixes or powder – powder mixes. Blenders are designed for mixing, blending, dispersing and kneading of light, medium or heavy density dry materials, and medium to viscous pastes. There are three basic categories, i.e. rotating shell, rotating impeller, or a combination of both the above.
BLENDING
A mixing process – generally a softer motion as in tumbler mixing.
BLUNGER
A large vat in which the contents, especially clay and water, are mixed by rotating arms.
BUNG MIXERS
A term used for mixers which have blades that fold down next to the mixer shaft to reduce the overall size of the mixer and thus enable the mixer to fit into the BUNG hole on a standard 200 litre drum. Once the mixer is operative, the blades open out and the mixer then operates with fully open blades performing active mixing.
CALCITE
Calcite is a white or colourless mineral consisting of calcium carbonate. Calcite is used as a filler in paint manufacture to improve paint stability.
COLLAPSIBLE IMPELLER
An impeller designed to work in an open drum with collapsible blades to enable fitment through the bung hole.
COLLOID SUSPENSIONS
Colloid suspensions are composed of a framework of one kind of particle, which supports other particles within the substance. Colloidal suspensions are not stable. Certain colloids will break down when they are heated. Eventually they lose all their structure, becoming liquids.
CONE BLENDERS
These are blenders of the rotating shell type that operate as two cones or V-blender types to achieve the blending of light to heavy powders and abrasive materials.
CONTINUOUS MIXERS
Such mixers process products from continuous fed product components at the front and discharge the mixed stream from the end of the unit. Static mixers are a particular example of fully continuous mixers.
COV
Coefficient of Variance. A measure of the degree to which two streams of product are mixed – typically in a static mixer. It is typically expressed as a decimal fraction where 1 is total segregation of the streams and 0 is total homogeneity.
CRITICAL SPEED
A rotational speed (rpm) of a mixer shaft which is operating at the shaft’s natural vibration frequency (cycles/min). Operating a shaft at critical speed may amplify vibrations leading to shaft failure by excessive deflection. This phenomenon is called resonance.
CRUTCHER
A helical ribbon mixer located in a vertical draught tube – is an arrangement familiarly known as a “crutcher” in the soap industry.
CURING – PAINT
Curing refers to polymerization of the binder. Depending on chemistry and composition, any particular paint may undergo either curing or drying or both processes.
DILATANT MIXES
A dilatant (also termed shear thickening) material is one in which viscosity increases with the rate of shear. This is a property of certain gels which get more viscous (even hard) when you apply a suitable force. When a small sideways force is applied to certain dilatants, the weak bonds between the particles break, and the substance flows just like a liquid. The opposite of dilatant is thixotropic.
DISPERSERS
Mixers in which agglomerates or clumps of particles are broken down into finely dispersed products.
DISPERSION
Dispersion is a process of mixing by the breaking apart of solid particles into a bulk liquid using a high speed, rotating saw-tooth blade, or other special impeller design, and subsequent mixing thereof. The blade or impeller produces high shear forces that break apart the particles.
DISPERSION
A two phase system in which the one phase, called the disperse phase, is permanently distributed as small particles throughout the other phase, called the continuous phase.
DOLOMITE
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral, consisting of calcium magnesium carbonate. Dolomite is used as a filler to improve paint stability. Harder material than Calcite and thus needing special processing aids when dispersing paint mill bases.
DRAFT TUBE
A hollow cylinder or pipe mounted concentrically with and above the impeller to promote increased vertical flow during mixing.
DRUM MIXER
Mixers of various types (e.g. impeller, disperser, turbine, etc) designed to work in an open drum or drum mixer with collapsible impeller to enable fitment through the bung hole.
DRYING – PAINT
Drying generally refers to evaporation of the solvent or vehicle. Depending on chemistry and composition, any particular paint may undergo either drying or curing or both processes.
ELEMENTS
A term used with static mixers to describe various types of internal shapes in the mixer pipe that perform the mixing action. See also helical elements.
EMULSIFIERS
These are mixers that achieve the emulsification process through a combination of high speed rotation and centrifugal force through a perforated screen.
EMULSION
An emulsion is a colloidal dispersion of two or more liquids, which are immiscible (un-blendable) with each other.
EXTENDER (1)
A solid material used as an additive to impart other specific physical properties to a coating; they are often natural minerals such as talc, kaolin, whiting etc. The preferred term is generally “extender”. The term is derived from the term “pigment extender” as they are generally pigment-like in nature but possess poor optical properties. Pigments themselves are generally too expensive to use to modify properties other than colour. An example of a case where both pigmentation and other properties are filled by the same substance would be a red oxide primer.
EXTENDER (2)
The term extender is sometimes applied to resinous materials added to such systems as epoxy solutions. They are used to reduce costs and can modify flow and other characteristics they may be referred to as “diluents”.
FILLERS
Fillers are a special type of pigment that serve to thicken the film, support its structure and simply increase the volume of the paints. Fillers are usually comprised of cheap and inert materials, such as talc, lime, baryte, clay, etc. Not all paints include fillers. On the other hand some paints contain very large proportions of pigment/filler and binder.
FINENESS OF GRIND
See FOG.
FINGER IMPELLER
A type of paste mixer impeller, this combination is of vertical blades meshing with stationary baffles.
FLUID-WEDGE MIXER
A mixer using a specialized very high intensity rotor-stator mixer to achieve high intensity of dispersion, emulsification and other mixing operations. Also sold as Jones Batchranger.
FOG
An assessment of the degree of dispersion as judged by the presence of coarse particles; a grind gauge is used for the purpose.
FREQUENCY INVERTER
A variable-frequency drive (VFD) is a system for controlling the rotational speed of an alternating current (AC) electric motor by controlling the frequency of the electrical power supplied to the motor. This device enables mixers to be run at various speeds to optimize the mixing sub-processes in any production batch.
FOLDING MIXERS
A term used for mixers which have blades that fold down next to the mixer shaft to reduce the overall size of the mixer and thus enable the mixer to fit into the cap hole on top of an IBC or other tank. Once the mixer is operative, the blades open out and the mixer then operates with fully open blades performing active mixing.
FOLDING PROPELLER
The process when the mill base is gradually diluted with the balance of the ingredients in the formula.
FRAME SIZE
Refers to the physical size and dimensions of a motor.
FREEBOARD
The distance from the liquid surface to the top of a tank. This distance must be taken into account when sizing a mixer shaft to ensure adequate coverage of the impeller under the liquid surface. Also termed ‘ullage’.
GATE IMPELLER
A multiple-arm paddle type impeller with connecting vertical members; this design is sometimes adopted for structural reasons in large tanks.
GLOMULATE, GLOMULATION
The process of forming glomules.
GLOMULE
A rolled-up ball of solid particles, often held together by an adherent binder.
GRANULATE, GRANULATION
To break up a dried cake or other solid into fragments.
GRANULE
Fragment of a dried cake.
HAND
Propellers are either “Left Hand” or “Right Hand”. When the propeller is viewed from the blade edge or its side, the blade is angled upward to the left (Left Hand) or upward to the right (Right Hand).
HELICAL ELEMENTS
Elements used in static mixers where the elements are of a helix or spiral shape with each helical element typically rotated 180 degrees to the preceding element.
HELICAL IMPELLER
A paddle type mixer with a helical ribbon or screw impeller, often in a vertical draught tube. The impeller occupies the central position in the tank and pumps downwards.
HIGH SHEAR MIXERS OR HIGH SHEAR DISPERSERS
Mixers designed for use in liquid mixing systems where a particle size reduction or breaking apart of agglomerated solids is required.
HI-POWER ULTRASONICS
Hi-power ultrasonics is a new and novel use of ultrasound which has energy levels of (0.001 Watts/cm2 to 1000 Watts/cm2 or 1000Watts up to greater than 100 kWatts and amplitudes from 10 micron to 150 micron peak to peak displacement). This is a much greater magnitude than conventional ultrasound technologies.
HOMOGENIZERS
These are high-shear mixers that subject materials of different viscosities to intense mechanical and hydraulic mixing forces, enabling a uniform blend.
HOMOGENEOUS SOLUTION
See Miscibility below – refer
HP (Horsepower)
A unit for measuring the power of motors, equal to 746 Watts. In mixer applications, horsepower may be expressed as shaft HP or motor HP.
HPU
Hi-Power Ultrasonic
HYDROFOIL
A powdered insoluble solid which provides optical properties such as colour, reflectance, opacity. The term is also used in the coatings/ink industry for powders which, when dispersed in a liquid or solid binder, may also provide properties such as UV protection, corrosion inhibition or for modifying mechanical and flow properties.
IBC CONTAINER
An Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) is a container used for transport and storage of fluids and bulk materials. The construction of the IBC container and the materials used are chosen depending on the application, i.e. there are various types available in the market, but the most common type is made from polyethylene or polypropylene plastic materials set in a galvanized pressed-steel frame.
IBC MIXERS
IBC mixers are mixers set on an IBC tank. Jones IBC mixers are built to clamp onto the top frame of the IBC container.
IMMISCIBILITY
Immiscibility is a term referring to the property of liquids that are unable to mix in any proportion, and thus do not form a homogeneous phase.
IMPELLERS
Impellers are rotating components of a dynamic mixer, which transfer energy from the motor that drives the mixer to the fluids being mixed by forcing the fluid away from the centre of rotation. There are two basic types of flow patterns that can be developed by mixing impellers: axial flow and radial-flow.
IN-LINE MIXERS
A top entry mixer installed vertically in a pot located permanently in a pipeline. Also referred to as static mixers or motionless mixers, which in-line mixers have no moving parts and operate continuously. In-line or static mixers are efficient and generally require little maintenance. They are available in various metals, plastics, or PTFE lined plastic fitted pipes.
KNEAD AND KNEADING
To mix and work into a uniform mass, as by folding, pressing, and stretching.
KNEADER
Mixer for doughy materials in which the dough is repeatedly pulled out, folded back on itself, and pushed down to join the separate layers into a homogeneous mixture.
kW (Kilowatts)
A unit for measuring the power of motors, equal to … HP (see Horsepower) in mixer applications.
LABORATORY MIXERS
General purpose mixers used to perform a variety of laboratory mixing requirements, such as mixing, homogenizing, blending and dissolving. These are usually propeller type mixers.
LET DOWN
The process when the mill base is gradually diluted with the balance of the ingredients in the formula.
MILL BASE
That portion of the coating formulation that is charged into the dispersion mill; a high concentration of pigment mixed with medium suitable for the dispersion process.
MILLS
Bead or Pearl Mills use beads of glass or high quality sand to break down the solid component of the mix into very fine aggregates.
MISCIBILITY
Miscibility is a term referring to the property of liquids that are able to mix or blend in all proportions, forming a homogeneous solution.
MIXING
Mixing has been defined as the intermingling of two or more dissimilar portions of a material, resulting in the attainment of a desired level of uniformity, either physical or chemical, in the final product.
MOTIONLESS MIXERS
Also known as static mixers, inline mixers and pipeline mixers, these are continuous mixers that operate inline and have no moving parts. Blending of various fluids can be achieved or the addition of chemical additives can also be incorporated.
NAUTA MIXER
Refer to orbiting screw mixers. Nauta mixers are a brand of such mixers.
OFF BOTTOM
The distance from the impeller to the tank bottom. The off-bottom is typically between one to two times the impeller diameter.
ORBITING SCREW MIXERS
A mixer consisting of a cylindrical screw located at the vessel wall that conveys product from the bottom of the conical vessel to the product surface. The screw is attached to an arm which rotates around the perimeter of the vessel causing convective mixing and shear.
PILOT MIXERS
A pilot mixer can be seen as an intermediate size version of any mixer and will fall between a laboratory mixer and full scale mixer on a size comparison. A pilot mixer enables larger scale batch testing than a laboratory mixer. All types of mixers can in principal be offered as a pilot scale unit.
PITCH
This defines the angle of the blade with respect to the diameter. Pitch is also described as the advance per revolution. Almost all propellers today are square pitch where the pitch is equal to 1.0 times the diameter, or the impeller would advance a distance equal to it’s diameter in one revolution.
For industrial applications use either a square pitch or steep pitch (sometimes referred to as “super pitch”). In terms of pitch ratios, the above are often referred to as 1.0 and 1.5 pitch. There are also impellers in use down to 0.7 pitch using a low blade angle.
PADDLE IMPELLER
The first and most basic turbine impeller. The simplest form is a single horizontal flat beam.
PADDLE MIXER
A mixer in which paddles attached to the shaft perform the main mixing function. Frequently manufactured as a horizontal unit.
PAINT
Paint is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film.
PAN MIXER
A machine with a rotating drum in which the components of (typically) concrete are mixed.
PELLET
An agglomerate formed by mechanical compacting or extrusion.
PIGMENT
A powdered insoluble solid which provides optical properties such as colour, reflectance, opacity. The term is also used in the coatings/ink industry for powders which, when dispersed in a liquid or solid binder, may also provide properties such as UV protection, corrosion inhibition or for modifying mechanical and flow properties.
PLOUGHSHARE MIXER
Ploughshare Mixers operate on the principle of a mechanically generated fluid bed with three dimensional movement of the product from the plough shape blades. They provide good solutions for mixing components ranging from fine powders through to heavy pastes.
PROPELLER MIXER
Propellers are essentially high speed impellers of the axial flow type (discharge flow parallel to the agitator shaft). It is used for mixing relatively low viscosity products and maintaining contents in suspension.
RADIAL FLOW
Impellers that draw from above and below the impeller and discharge it toward the tank wall, perpendicularly from the mixer shaft, are radial flow impellers. This type of flow is called radial flow.
RESIN
Resin is the actual film forming component of paint. It is the only component that must be present. Also termed a binder.
REYNOLDS NUMBER
A dimensionless number used to indicate the type of fluid motion being produced. The value of this number determines the value of the power number, which affects the HP draw. Reynolds numbers below 1,000 are considered laminar; above 2,500 is turbulent flow.
RHEOLOGY
Rheology is the study of the deformation and flow of matter under the influence of an applied stress. Rheology is also simply known as the study of viscosity. In engineering, rheology has had its predominant application in the development and use of polymeric materials. Rheology modifiers are also a key element in the development of paints in achieving paints that will level but not sag on vertical surfaces.
RIBBON BLENDERS
Stationary shell, rotating horizontal impeller type, and possibly the most versatile and widely used blender, this unit is suitable for an extensive range of products, from dry to paste. Various types of impellers are offered, including continuous or interrupted spirals, “pug” blades and aerating tips.
ROTOR – STATOR MIXERS
A high intensity disperser or mixer in which the main or carrier fluid is driven through a specially designed mixing head where rotating and static parts create an intense mixing action.
RUSHTON BLADE
A turbine impeller comprising a flat disc fitted with vertical paddles – typically six in number.
SAW TOOTH PROPELLER
That portion of the coating formulation that is charged into the dispersion mill; a high concentration of pigment mixed with medium suitable for the dispersion process.
SETTLING RATE OF SOLIDS
The velocity reached by a particle as it falls through a fluid, dependent on its size and shape, and the difference between its specific gravity and that of the settling medium; used to sort particles by grain size.
SIGMA MIXERS
See Z-BLADE mixers below.
SLURRY
A mixture of liquids and insoluble solids; a Solid Suspension.
SCRAPER
Flexible or hinged members attached to the outer periphery of an Anchor Impeller to scrape the vessel wall, preventing buildup and improving heat transfer.
SERVICE FACTOR
Equipment having a service factor of 1.0 for a given level of performance is designed to operate without excessive wear or failure over its lifetime at that performance level. For instance, a 1 HP motor rotating at 1725 RPM with a service factor of 1.0 will operate for many years under a 1 HP load. A gearbox designed to transmit 1 HP has a service factor of 1.0 when loaded to 1 HP. If, however, that same gearbox is loaded to only ½ HP, it now has a service factor of 2.0, indicating that it is capable of heavier duty than the current use and should have a longer service life.
SERVICE FACTOR (GEARS)
A numerical rating system c gear trains based on operating time, type of drive and duty required. See Gear Rating.
SETTLING VELOCITY
The velocity attained by a particle freely falling in a fluid due to gravity.
SHEAR
As applied to liquid mixing, it is that portion of the applied power, which appears as turbulence, velocity head, recycling, drag on the blades, etc. It is the action, which produces intimate mixing on a microscopic and molecular scale.
SLINGER
A device attached to a shaft above the liquid level to prevent the liquid from climbing or splashing up on the shaft. Also a small Impeller placed as low as possible in a tank to agitator the “heel” when the tank is nearly empty. Sometimes called a Cleanup Impeller or heel agitator.
SOLUTION
A homogeneous mixture of two or more substances, which may be solids, liquids, gases, or a combination of these.
SONIFICATION
When sonificating liquids the sound waves that propagate into the liquid media result in alternating high-pressure (compression) and low-pressure (rarefaction) cycles. This applies mechanical stress on the attracting electrostatic forces (e.g. van der Waals forces)
SONOCHEMISTRY
The application of Hi-power ultrasound to chemical, bio-technology or pharmaceutical processing for the purpose of enhancing the chemical reaction kinetics, chemical yield, new reaction pathways and the breaking and forming of chemical bonds.
SPECIFIC GRAVITY
The ratio of the processed fluid density to the density of water under the current process conditions.
STABILIZERS
Stabilizer rings or fins can be added to mixer impellers to allow the mixer to operate at higher speeds without vibration. They also assist in shaft stabilization.
STANDARD TANK
The standard tank configuration is a useful reference standard for mixing process design. It provides adequate mixing for most processing requirements found in industry. However, it should be stressed that the Standard Tank Configuration is an arbitrary standard which in some circumstances is not the best configuration to use. For full details of key dimensions refer the Standard Tank section elsewhere on this site.
STATIC MIXERS
Also referred to as in-line mixers or motionless mixers, static mixers have no moving parts and operate continuously. Static mixers are efficient and generally require little maintenance. They are available in various metals and plastics, or PTFE lined plastic fitted pipes.
SURFACE TENSION
Property of a liquid that tends to resist breaking of the liquid’s surface. Important in atomization, wetting a particle or evaporative escape of vapour.
SUSPENSION
A system in which microscopically visible particles are dispersed throughout a less dense liquid or gas from which they are easily filtered but not easily settled because of system viscosity or molecular interactions.
THIXOTROPIC MIXES
This is a property of certain gels which liquefy when subjected to vibratory forces like simple shaking, and then solidify again when left standing.
THROW MIXERS
The term ‘throw mixer’ applies to a range of powder mixers in which the main mixing mode is a throwing over of the powder from tumbling and turning thereof; compare Tumbler mixers.
TIP SPEED
Speed of the blade or impeller at the outer edge.
TITANIUM DIOXIDE
Titanium dioxide is a white unreactive solid which occurs naturally as the mineral rutile and is used extensively as a white pigment in many products including paint. Food grade quality is also used in the food processing industry.
TORGUE
The twisting force that is created by a motor and/or gearbox to produce rotation of a mixer shaft. Torque is increased for a given water power by use of a gear box thus changing the same motor from direct driven to gear drive arrangement.
TOTE MIXERS
Tote is another term loosely used for IBC tanks. A tote mixer is thus a mixer set on an IBC tank. Jones special tote mixers are built to clamp onto the top frame of the IBC tank.
TUMBLER MIXERS
Tumbler mixers operate by tumbling the mass of solids inside a revolving vessel; cubes,drums, double-cones and vee shapes are used for the vessel.
TUMBLING, TUMBLER MIXERS
A category or grouping of mixers such as Double Cone mixers, V-Cone mixers and Drum-Tumbler mixers.
TURBO MIXER
A term used for stator-rotor type intense dispersion mixers.
TYPES OF MIXERS
See end of this glossary for details on ‘TYPES OF MIXERS’
ULLAGE
See ‘Freeboard”
ULTRASONIC CHEMICAL PROCESSING
Application of Hi-power ultrasound to industrial chemical processes such as cosmetics, paint, ink, plastics, resin, adhesives, pharmaceutical products, polymers, petrochemical, petroleum oil products, chemical powders, surfactants, acids, alkaline chemicals and peroxides. Not to be confused with SONOCHEMISTRY.
ULTRASONIC POWER
Watts of ultrasonic energy transmitted to the process material.
ULTRASONIC PROCESSING
The application of Hi-power ultrasound energy to industrial liquid or semi liquid/solid flow streams or batch processes.
ULTRASONIC REACTOR
A steel vessel with an inlet and outlet containing an ultrasonic Sonotrode (Transducer) or horn which may be bolted inline with an industrial process to treat the product stream with ultrasonic waves. The term reactor would include the US generator, trigger devise, transducer and related equipment.
US
Ultrasonics
VACUUM MIXERS
These are predominantly top-mounted mixers with special vacuum seals at the mounting. They are used to extract air pulled into the product during the mixing process, or gas generated by reaction in the process.
VARIMIX
A specialized disperser manufactured and marketed by Jones Industrial Mixers. It is a superb productivity machine for dispersion. It is system of one or more off set disperser mixers and one centre mounted stirrer driving wiper blades at the tank inner wall. Used mostly with very large dispersion batch tanks.
VARISHEAR MIXERS
The unique Varishear® Mixer is a specialized disperser manufactured and marketed by Jones Industrial Mixers. It is a superb productivity machine. It is capable of handling mixes of up to 100000 centipoises. The Varishear impeller is unique in its design and variability, due to the expandable impeller size, special tips and variable tip quantities possible.
VEHICLE
The term vehicle is industry jargon and in some companies it refers to the solvent and in others to the binder.
VISCOSITY
Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid to being deformed by either shear stress or extensional stress. It is commonly perceived as “thickness”, or resistance to flow.
Viscosity describes a fluid’s internal resistance to flow and may be thought of as a measure of fluid friction. The study of viscosity is known as rheology.
VISCOSHEAR
A Jones rotor-stator mixer to achieve intense dispersion, emulsification and other mixing operations.
VISCOUS
A fluid of high viscosity is viscous fluid.
VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND (VOC)
Fundamentally any organic liquid or solid that vaporizes spontaneously at the prevailing temperature and pressure of the surrounding atmosphere.
VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND CONTENT (VOCC)
The mass of the volatile organic compounds present in a coating material, as determined under specified conditions.
VFD
A VFD or variable-frequency drive is a system for controlling the rotational speed of an alternating current (AC) electric motor by controlling the frequency of the electrical power supplied to the motor. This device enables mixers to be run at various speeds to optimize the mixing sub-processes in any production batch.
VSD
A VSD or variable-speed drive is an alternate name for a variable-frequency drive. This device enables mixers to be run at various speeds to optimize the mixing sub-processes in any production batch.
Z-BLADE MIXERS
The “Z” blade, or “sigma” mixer is designed for mixing, blending and kneading of medium and heavy non-flowing pastes. The impellers and bowls are accurately machined to close tolerances, eliminating build-up of materials and providing high shear and rapid distribution of materials.
TYPES OF MIXERS
Many types of mixers are available. Some mixers are designed specifically for one special application, while others are more versatile with many options such as variable speed, changeable impellers and shafts, plus a wide range of motor horsepower. This data sheet will clarify some of the designations commonly used when discussing mixers.
Aerator: A mixer or other device used to dissolve air into water, usually for biological waste treatment. It may operate at the surface or submerged.
Direct Drive: A direct drive has an output shaft, which rotates at the same speed as the motor by way of a set coupling. Direct drive mixers are relatively simple and offer a higher component of shear to the process.
Flocculator: A relatively slow RPM mixer, which is used to enhance the contact of particles in suspension to agglomerate them for easier settling or separation.
Gear Drive: A mixer with an output shaft that has a speed lower than the motor speed because of a gear box (reducer) between the motor and output shaft. This mixer transmits higher torque and has higher pumping efficiency per kilowatt.
Portable Mixers: These mixers are easily moved from pot to pot and mounted to pot walls with a c-clamp or an adjustable plate. Typically a propeller mixer.
Sanitary Mixers: A mixer whose drive components (motor, gearbox) are made from stainless steel. These are used in sanitary and washdown environments, as well as highly corrosive atmospheres.
Top-Entry Mixers: Mixers mounted on top of mixing tanks, typically on a fitted bridge across the tank, or on a flange located on the top of the tank.