Mixer White Papers
- Advantages of PLC Recipe Controls
in Mixing and Blending
This white paper aims to shed light on the subject and presents five benefits that PLC Recipe Controls can bring specifically to mixing and blending processes.
- Ribbon Blenders - A best practices guide
This white paper presents some basic best practices for efficient processing in a Ribbon Blender. The ideas discussed here are recommendations based on practical and technical experience gained by Ross over several decades as a leading supplier of Ribbon Blenders to the process industries worldwide. The objective of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the operating principles, important features and even the intrinsic limitations of Ribbon Blenders.
- High Speed Mixers for Paints, Inks & Coatings
This white paper provides an overview of the different types of high speed mixers utilized in the manufacture of paints, inks and coatings. These machines accomplish a range of processing objectives which sometimes overlap. The recommendations discussed in this paper are geared towards proper mixer selection based on Ross’ experience as a provider of specialty mixing equipment to the coatings industry for over 170 years.
- Overview of Mixing Technologies for the Production of Low to High Viscosity Adhesives
Adhesives are formulated from different chemistries depending on their end use and desired performance. The type and amount of resin, curing agent, fillers and additives are selected to optimize bonding to a particular substrate in a particular environment. In a similar way, the mixing technologies utilized in the production of adhesives also vary from one formulation to another. Mixer selection is based on a number of factors but primarily viscosity profile and shear input.
- Five ways to more energy efficient mixing
This white paper explores five ways to increase energy efficiency in new and existing mixing processes.
The ideas discussed in this paper are recommendations based on Ross’ collective experience as a provider of specialty mixing equipment to the process industries for over 170 years. Mixer testing and simulation trials are recommended to confirm the suitability of a specific mixing strategy.
- Vacuum Drying Alternatives
Throughout the industries, more and more manufacturers are turning to agitated vacuum systems to improve their drying processes. Three common mixing technologies are employed in various vacuum drying requirements: the Vertical Blender/Dryer, Cylindrical Blender/Dryer and Double Planetary Mixer. This white paper presents the operating theory, advantages and sample applications of each design. The recommendations discussed here are based on Ross’s experience as a worldwide mixing and drying equipment supplier for over 170 years.
- Optimize Solid-Liquid Mixing
This white paper presents a number of mixing technologies and techniques employed in solid dispersion and dissolution. The aim of this paper is to provide practical information on the efficient use of specialty mixing equipment for the preparation of low, medium and high viscosity solid-liquid mixtures under low and high shear conditions.
- Choose the Right Inline High Shear Mixer for Your Process
This white paper presents some ideas for selecting the right inline high shear mixer for your process. The recommendations discussed in this paper are based on the company’s collective
experience as a mixing equipment provider to the process industries for over 170 years. Mixer testing and simulation trials are encouraged to confirm the suitability of a specific mixing strategy.
Guide to Mixing Nanomaterials
This white paper presents an overview of mixing technologies employed in the dispersion of nano-sized solid particles into liquid. As major developments continue to unfold in the multi-disciplinary field of nanotechnology, new mixing applications and processing challenges arise. The aim of this paper is to provide practical information on the efficient use of specialty mixing equipment for the preparation of low, medium and high viscosity nanodispersions.
High Viscosity Mixer Designs and Applications
Efficient mixing of viscous applications takes into consideration, among many other factors, viscosity and level of shear. It is common for batch materials to exhibit fluctuating rheology during different stages of mixing and demand varying shear intensity depending on ingredient additions or temperature limits. The appropriate mixing equipment must therefore have the ability to control flow pattern and fine tune shear input at any point of the mix cycle.
Solutions to Batch Mixing Issues
This white paper presents some strategies for improving commonly encountered batch mixing problems. Because mixing processes vary from one application to another – with different objectives, design configurations, rheologies, operating limitations, etc. – there are no fix-all solutions that will apply to every situation.
- Mixing Applications in Selected Green Technologies
This white paper presents an overview of mixing technologies employed in selected green technologies. As major developments continue to advance in the areas of renewable energy, green construction, green chemistry and many other markets, new mixing applications and processing challenges arise..
How to Wet Powders Instantly
Wetting powders such as alginates and xantham gums is one of the toughest challenges in mixing. When trying to mix them, they tend to float for hours on the surface of a liquid batch. Even with vigorous agitation, they remain on the slopes of a vortex and resist being drawn down into the batch.
- Mixing Equipment & Applications in the Pharmaceutical & Medical Products Industry
This white paper presents an overview of mixing technologies implemented across many of today’s highly competitive pharmaceutical and medical industries, as well as new mixing equipment designs that are increasingly being recognized as potential solutions to prevailing mixing challenges.
- A Guide to Successful Mixing TrialsTesting at the mixer manufacturer’s laboratory presents the benefit of evaluating multiple equipment designs and of utilizing the expertise of mixing engineers who can make valuable suggestions based on their observations of your product’s behavior during and after mixing.
- A Brief on Nanomaterial Mixing Technology
A growing number of consumer products – from computer chips and cosmetics to fabrics and surfboards – are incorporating small amounts of nanomaterials to enhance existing properties or
provide new functionalities.
- Overview of Adhesives Industry ApplicationsThis article seeks to provide an overview of effective and updated mixing technologies being implemented by many adhesives manufacturing plants, as well as new equipment designs increasingly being recognized by the industry as potential solutions to prevailing mixing challenges.
- Mixing Emulsions Made EasyFor many emulsion applications today, the only way to know for sure what kind of mixer
will work best is to test several designs in a controlled setting and to evaluate the results quantitatively. Consult an experienced mixer manufacturer with a well-equipped testing laboratory.
- Understanding Surfactants and New Methods of DispersingThe only common finding is that surfactants in a fluid system affect several of its properties, both, in their equilibrium values and in their dynamic response to changes, as well as the physical and rheological properties of the system’s interfaces.
- Mixer Selection – An alternative consideration!A review of mixers can be useful, but it can also be deceiving. It places equipment like high-speed dispersers and rotor/stator pre-mixers in neat categories, and that is not the way the real world works. Mixer selection is just not that simple. It’s a balancing act. Read on.
- A Guide to Understanding and Mixing ThickenersThickeners come from both natural and synthetic sources. Naturally occurring polymers comprised of polysaccharide or amino acid building blocks, and are generally water-soluble. Common examples are starch, cellulose, alginate, egg yolk, agar, arrowroot, carageenan, collagen, gelatin, guar gum, pectin and xanthan gum.
- Dry Blender Selection Criteria – Vertical & Horizontal DesignsRibbon blenders are used to mix many thousands of products, from fertilizers and plastic resins to flavored coffees and cosmetics. The ribbon blender is one of the most common mixing devices in service today, because it is one of the most versatile and cost-efficient mixers ever created.
- New High Speed Mixer Designs Allow More Efficient Development and Scale-UpWhen a piece of equipment provides the tools necessary to quickly compare the advantages of competing mixing techniques such as rotor-stator mixers and high speed dispersers — using a method that is controlled, quantifiable, and projectable for scale-up — its value is far greater.
- How to choose the right mixer for high-viscosity mixing applicationsIf you haven’t read an up-to-date mixer selection chart recently, take another look. You will find that the distinction between the mixers listed is now far less conspicuous than the overlap in their capabilities. This is especially true among heavy-duty mixers capable of mixing
viscous paste materials having viscosities from 50,000 to 8 million cps (centipoise).
- The Importance of Mixer Testing and SelectionIf you haven’t tested a variety of mixers during the last few years, forget all the rules you used to rely on to distinguish one mixer from another. According to the old rulebook, mixers fell into neat categories according to their capabilities and the requirements of your application.
- How to Specify the Right Multi-Agitator Mixer for Your Application Multi-shaft mixers often enable manufacturers to retire specialized pieces of equipment by combining multiple mixing steps into an integrated, multi-step cycle within one mix vessel.
- Optimize & Speed Up Powder Wetting - Shorten Cycle TimesSolids like fumed silica, calcium carbonate, gums and thickeners are difficult to wet out and often stubbornly float on the surface of a liquid during the mixing process.Our new technology directly injects powders into a specially engineered high-speed rotor/stator, where the powder is immediately dispersed into the liquid stream.
- How a Control System can help increase profitsThe control system must balance your need for accuracy, consistency, flexibility and reliability against your need to control costs. The control system is therefore much more than the interface between the operator and the machine; it’s a direct interface between your process system and profitability!
- The Art of High Shear MixingThe ability to apply intense shear and shorten mixing cycles gives these mixers broad appeal for applications that require immiscible fluids to be formulated into emulsions, or agglomerated powders to be dispersed into a liquid medium.
- The new DPM Double Planetary Mixer - an economical alternative to double-arm kneadersThe new DPM Double Planetary mixer is equipped with Ross’s new HV Blades*, the new mixer can replace a double-arm kneader in many applications, cut operating costs substantially, and increase production.
- Ultra High Shear Mixing Technology The daily challenge in high-shear rotor/stator (HSM) mixing is to reach the target droplet or particle size and achieve a satisfactory particle-size distribution in the most cost-effective manner.“What is the most effective, economical, and practical way to produce the required article - or droplet size distribution?”
- Consider the Advantages of Mixing Under Vacuum Our experience in the field and in the Ross Test & Development Center has proven that vacuum can improve the performance of almost any mixing, blending or drying system.
- Graceful Scale-Up of Mixing Systems – Make it Happen for YouThe textbook concept on scalability is defined in terms of process, material and machine variables, grouped into ratios and equations establishing geometric, kinematic and dynamic similarities. But virtually all of these classic formulas apply only to simple, lowviscosity
liquid-liquid mixing systems involving a single agitator.
- The Quest for Clean Mixing The usual challenges include maintaining batch-tobatch
uniformity and optimizing blend times, but could be as simple, yet equally important, as improving cleanliness.
- Tips to Help you Choose the Right Blender Solid-solid product formulations are mixed to meet a variety of objectives. These include blending of ingredients (such as in the preparation of animal feeds, fertilizer, glass batches, food products, etc), heating/cooling/drying (like in the processing of metal powders and plastics) and coating of solid particles with small amounts of liquid (similar to the manufacture of pigments, pharmaceuticals and chemical blends).
- Mixing & Blending Equipment: Give Renting a Try When new equipment is too expensive to purchase or when outsourcing is more a hassle than a solution, the option of renting can offer many manufacturers a way to cushion the abrupt change, especially when no one knows how long the increased demand will last.
- Getting Ready to Purchase a New Mixer? Tips on How to Justify the Capital Expenditure Purchase of new mixing equipment is typically not a hasty event. Unless an unexpected challenge abruptly hit your operations such as a sudden failure of an existing mixer or a right-now sales opportunity demanding an unprecedented spike in production, process engineers generally have time to prepare for what could be a serious expenditure.