Where bulk solids and powders are concerned, a ribbon blender mixer can blend pretty much everything. A very versatile machine, the ribbon blender is a very dependable and scalable mixing system. Used across horizontals to blend everything from granules to flakes, dry powders to pellets, these devices come in varying capacities the lowest being a half cu. ft and the highest going over 100 cu. ft.
The Uses
A ribbon mixer is used in factories to mix a variety of ingredients. In the food industry, it is used to mix spice blends and drink mixes. In the pharma industry, it blends multivitamins. In the cosmetic industry, it is frequently used to blend cosmetic powders. Across other horizontals, it mixes polymer blends, fertilizers, ceramic powders and chemical additives.
When the ingredients are simple and similar in their density, shape, and size, blending becomes fast and straightforward. For example, a batch of one cu ft would take under three minutes whereas a batch of 18 cu ft would take about 10 minutes. The same operation for a batch over 100 cu ft would take 20 to 25 minutes.
A ribbon blender mixer can do more than just mixing different ingredients, it can also coat solids with liquid and powder components. This it does so effectively, that in factories, the mixers are often used to make pastes and slurries and semi-solid suspensions. The machines also serve the purpose of vacuum drying. For wet applications, the systems are used to mix cake batter, soup, guacamole, pharmacological granules, pet foods, and even plaster slurries and joint compounds.
The Method of Operation
How such a mixer works is very interesting. A ribbon blender mixer has a U-shaped drum in which the raw materials free-flow into. Inside the trough stands a horizontal agitator that features helical ribbons. With the help of these ribbons, the agitator moves the content in a radial and axial motion. A top-notch mixer machine features clearances between the tip of the agitator and the surface of the drum. These clearances are tightly controlled to offer a good scraping while the mixing is happening inside. A mixer offers a repeatable and thorough mixing when it has expert fabrication and good design. That ensures three things, an easy and quick clean-up, a prolonged service life and low maintenance requirements.
What to Buy
Ribbon blender mixers today are manufactured and sold by many companies. Their popularity has brought into the game many small and big players in recent times who have together held the balance between demand and supply. As a buyer, you should always aim to invest in a well-equipped mixer that can blend both small and big batches at a reasonably short amount of time.
Only the big brand mixers ensure performance and quality both at the same time. While off-the-shelf mixers are great to have for quick and urgent mixing jobs, for bigger and more stable requirements, custom-machines are best recommended. These systems better meet individual requirements without adding to the lead time or capital cost.