Rotary Blenders – What Are They Used For?

There are some different purposes for which a rotary blender is used. For example, you can use it to blend various ingredients or even process various materials. This is a useful tool for any business, especially for companies that deal with food or other products that require a lot of blending.

Ribbon Blenders

A ribbon blender is a rotary blender that mixes powders. It can be used to produce dietary supplements, flavors, spices, and even infant food. Besides food, they are also used to mix plastic compounds, chemicals, and coating composite fillers.

Ribbon blenders are available in a variety of sizes. They can handle about five liters of material. These machines are easy to operate.

Unlike other types of blenders, ribbon mixers are specifically designed for mixing powders. This ensures a smooth movement of the product. The ribbons combine both countercurrent and radial motion to make the mixing process even and efficient. Depending on the material’s density and particle size, the ribbon blender has certain loading capacities.

Some models of these rotary blenders have double helical agitators. In addition to the helical ribbons, there are inner and outer helical ribbons. All of these components are specially designed to keep the machine functioning.

Double Cone Blenders

Double-cone rotary blenders are widely used in the industry for various purposes. They are especially suitable for homogenizing dry powders. In addition, they help in achieving greater consistency. These blending machines have rugged construction. They offer a wide range of capacities from 25 kg to 10,000 kg.

These blenders suit the chemical, plastics, pharmaceutical, detergent, and fertilizer industries. Their main advantage is that they can achieve optimum homogeneity in a short period. They can also perform several different types of mixing.

These blenders are made of stainless steel. This is to protect the motor and gearbox. They come in a variety of designs. The bin is statically balanced, making it easier to discharge the blended material.

Octagonal Blenders

Octagonal Blenders are mainly used for mixing dry granules and lubricating materials in powder form. These blenders provide an exceptional blending of granular material and are designed to perform various applications.

They can be used for various granular materials, including pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, food, and chemicals. Octagonal blenders are also used for mixing and free-flowing lubricating powders.

The main advantage of the octagonal shape is its ability to blend larger volumes of granules. This shape also enables the blending process to be done quickly. When compared to other blenders, the octagonal blender occupies less space. It also requires lower RPMs.

The octagonal blender is highly recommended for pharmaceutical companies. Octagonal blenders are manufactured using the latest technology. 

Paddle Blenders

A paddle blender is a rotary blender with paddles attached to a shaft. They are often used to mix liquids into dry mixtures, create slurries, and cook and blend simultaneously. These agitators are ideal for handling abrasive materials, non-directional liquid or slurry mixes, and food products with discrete ingredients.

Paddle blenders are a low-cost alternative to a shear mixer, with the added benefit of being easy to load. This type of agitator has a very slow rotation rate, allowing it to achieve a very consistent, homogeneous mix. Often used for blending and cooking, these agitators are also useful for creating deliberate swirls in ice cream, stucco, and salads.

The main shaft of a paddle blender is welded to the end of a cylindrical shell. It is then curved in a press to form the paddles. Most of the paddles are made of stainless steel. Heavy pillow-block bearings and precision-machined solid journals provide ultra-high strength.

Using a Rotary Blender to Process Thermoplastics

Using a rotary blender to process thermoplastics may be the best way to go about it, but there are a few drawbacks. The most obvious of these is that the materials need to be uniformly distributed, and thus the risk of mishandling is high. For example, it is common for the mixture to contain small bubbles. Also, a rotary blender is costly, and the high-tech machines that can handle the task are few and far between. In other words, the rotary blender is best left to the pros. It’s a good thing the pros outnumber the posers.

One of the most exciting uses for this type of machine is the application of heat treatments and coatings to various polymers. A high-end rotary blender can handle as much as 5000kg per hour. Some twin-wall models can control the temperature of a single batch or several thousand at once.