High Shear Mixer: The Ultimate FAQ Guide
Today, I will answer all your questions about high shear mixer.
Whether you want to learn about the working principle, design or features – you will find all information right here.
So keep reading to learn more.
- What Is A High Shear Mixer?
- Is There Difference Between High Shear Mixer And High Shear Granulator?
- What Are The Features Of Industrial High Shear Mixers?
- Which Are The Types Of High Shear Mixer Available In The Market?
- What Are The Safety Features Of High Shear Mixer Granulator?
- How Does An Inline High Shear Mixer And Batch Mixer Compare?
- Do Laboratory High Shear Mixers Exist?
- What Are The Factors To Consider When Selecting A High Shear Mixer?
- Which Is the Appropriate Materials for High Shear Mixer Construction to ensure cGMP Compliance?
- What Is The Difference Between High Shear Mixer Vs. Low Shear Mixer?
- How Does High Shear Mixer Vs High-Pressure Homogenizer Compare?
- What Are The Key Parts Of High Shear Mixer?
- Which Are The Types Of Spraying Nozzles Used In High Shear Mixer?
- What Are The Major Components Of The Control System Of A High Shear Mixer?
- How Do You Install In-Line High Shear Mixer?
- What Are The Safety Precautions During Installation Of High Shear Mixer?
- Which Are The Operation Modes Of High Shear Mixer?
- How Does High Shear Mixer Operate?
- What Are The End Products Formed By High Shear Mixer?
- Why Is Equilibrium Mixing Important In The Operation Of High Shear Mixer?
- How Do You Size The High Shear Mixer Capacity?
- What Are The Applications Of Industrial High Shear Mixer?
- Which Industries Commonly Use High Shear Mixers?
- How Does High Shear Mixer Improve Confectionery Production?
- What Are The Primary Benefits Of High Shear Mixer In Food Industry?
- What Are The Particle Properties To Consider During Selection Of High Shear Mixer?
- What Are The Advantages Of Ultra-High Shear Mixer?
- Which Are Optional Equipment You Can Attach To High Shear Mixer?
- What Is The High Shear Mixer Price In China?
- What Are The Key Specifications Of High Shear Mixer To Consider When Ordering For The Equipment?
- Can You Manufacture Customized High Shear Mixer?
- Does The High Shear Mixer Come With Spare Parts For Key Parts?
- What Are The Maintenance Procedure For High Shear Mixer?
- How Do You Troubleshoot High Shear Mixer?
What Is A High Shear Mixer?
A high shear mixer is a machine that is used to disperse, homogenize, emulsify, dissolve, or grind immiscible materials.
The mixing can be achieved using components of the same or different phases.
High Shear Mixer
Is There Difference Between High Shear Mixer And High Shear Granulator?
There is no significant difference because a high shear granulator is also a type of a high shear mixer.
It can be constructed by combining a batch or an in-line mixer with a fluid-bed dryer.
The key feature that distinguishes the high shear granulator from other high shear mixers is that only solid components are needed in granulation.
For the other high shear mixers, fluids also form part of the components to be mixed.
Fluids are only required to aid the granulation process in high shear granulators. The solid material is processed to required sizes then transferred to the drying bed where the fluid is eliminated.
What Are The Features Of Industrial High Shear Mixers?
The major features of an industrial high shear mixer are:
- High shear rates
- High rotor tip speeds
- Localized energy dissipation rates
- High power consumption than the ordinary mixers
Which Are The Types Of High Shear Mixer Available In The Market?
There are a number of industrial high shear mixers available in the market and they are classified based on configuration. They include:
Batch High Shear Mixers
In this type of high shear mixer, materials are mixed by batch and in large quantities. The mixing is done either in a tank or a vessel.
The batch high shear mixers can be configured so that they have only one mixing head. That single head can be lifted and suspended so that numerous vessels can be served.
In-Line High Shear Mixers
This is the type where materials are mixed in a chamber that has got both an inlet and an outlet. Due to the centrifugal force created by high shear mixers, the mixer functions as a pump thus driving the mixture through the chamber.
The chamber is normally closed thus making it less susceptible to contamination unlike in the batch type. In addition, it is more controlled than the batch type because the in-line mixer forms part of the product stream.
The product coming out of the mixer can continuously be kept track of thus allowing process operators to modify parameters in real-time.
Powder Induction High Shear Mixers
This is the type of a high shear mixer where vacuum systems are used to draw powdered components directly into the mixing head. A vacuum is created in the rotor-stator unit that draws powder from the hopper.
This type of high shear mixer helps in solving the problems that come up when handling difficult to process powders.
High Shear Granulators
These are mixers used in converting fine powders into agglomerates called granules. That is achieved by blending the powdered components with a blinding liquid with the help of an agitation coming from an impeller.
The process of forming the granules is called wet granulation.
High Shear Granulator
Ultra-High Shear Mixers
These types of high shear mixers are designed to operate at very high speeds so as to produce very fine particles size distribution.
That results in dispersed liquids and solids being homogenized into a continuous phase very fast.
The rotor is made into special contours to realize high capacity of pumping and high shear intensity.
Vortices are also fixed above and beneath the mixing head to draw the mixture into the head.
The mixture is then radially expelled from the head via the stator slots. Besides, the vortex can also draw agglomerates that float on the surface.
What Are The Safety Features Of High Shear Mixer Granulator?
The design safety features to ensure a high shear mixer granulator operator is not exposed to harm include:
- An overload relay protection
- An air pressure switch limit
- Fully enclosed mechanical and moving parts such as the drive system to ensure the machine user is not exposed to harm.
- The high shear mixer machines are also designed to comply with cGMP safety regulations.
How Does An Inline High Shear Mixer And Batch Mixer Compare?
An inline high shear mixer takes in and discharges material in a continuous stream.
The material normally gets well hydrated, emulsified, or homogenized in one pass.
A batch mixer, unlike the inline mixer, requires longer time for the materials to be mixed in a tank. 100 percent dispersion is therefore not realized leading to poor quality output and wastage of resources.
In-line mixers also have other advantages over batch mixers such as being fast and less bulky. They also provide a more controlled mixing environment.
Do Laboratory High Shear Mixers Exist?
Yes, laboratory models of high shear mixers are available in the market. They are often used where one has the liquid processing needs to test the technology with different applications.
The laboratory high shear mixers are also common in research and development establishments.
In the R&D departments, they are used to evaluate processing strategies and formulations before they can be scaled up to production levels.
Lab high shear mixer
What Are The Factors To Consider When Selecting A High Shear Mixer?
The factors to consider when selecting a high shear mixer for your applications include:
Material Characteristics
The materials you would like to mix might have low or high particle strength alongside other flow features. Knowing those characteristics will help you in determining the mixing scale that is necessary for your materials.
Depending on the characteristics, your materials might need macro-mixing or micro-mixing. Macro-mixing is suitable for free-flowing, coarse materials whose particle sizes are approximately greater than 75 microns.
Materials are transferred from one mixing location to the other during processing in macro-mixing. The mixture gets randomly ordered and gets to a state where it is referred to as a well-mixed product.
In micro-mixing, more consistency and stability is needed in the final mixed product. It is suitable for finer and more cohesive materials that are tinnier than 75 microns or contain liquid binder.
Process Conditions And Requirements
Since the mixer you acquire will form part of your process, it must bother you how it will fit in your production line. You need to ask yourself what process conditions and requirements will affect it.
Some of the issues you might want to look at include:
Safety
The mixer you acquire for integration into your process should not expose your workers to hazardous conditions.
The design and construction of the mixer should comply with the safety precautions at your facility and should minimize dust explosion risks.
For hazardous materials that might be toxic or explosive, you must be sure that your mixer can handle the materials before buying.
You should also inquire if the mixer generates heat or pressure and if it uses gases that might cause ignition or emission risks.
Feeders
Choosing a feeder that can accurately deliver raw materials into your mixer is key to its success.
Undesired ratio of materials in the mixer will definitely lead to a mixture of poor quality.
Using an accurate feeder implies that the right quantities of materials are delivered into the mixer before actual mixing starts. You should therefore pick feeders that can handle the flow characteristics of your materials with the level of accuracy that your mixer needs.
Operating Mode
You might need your mixer to operate in continuous or batch mode depending on a number of factors such as:
- Capacity – A batch mixer is appropriate if your process will produce less than 1 ton of material.
- Regulatory Requirements – you will need to go with a batch mixer if there is need to abide by recipe-reporting rules in industries such as pharmaceuticals.
- Micro-ingredients – if your final mixture is to contain very small quantities of several additives then you should choose a batch mixer.
- Flexibility And Cleanability – you should also choose a batch mixer in case you are mixing sanitary products or making regular product changes. That is because the batch mixer is easier to clean unlike the continuous mixer.
Combining Process Steps
Some mixers can combine mixing with other process steps such as grinding, coating, and drying. If your process requires additional steps on top of mixing, then you should go for a mixer that can handle the steps too.
Capacity
The desired production capacity against the total time taken in mixing is also another crucial factor to consider in choosing a mixer.
Evaluate your mixer based on how the time taken by operations such as loading materials will influence your desired production capacity.
The Mixer’s Cleaning Requirements
Mixers require infrequent cleaning in certain industries. In others, mixers require regular cleaning maybe to ensure high product quality or to allow processing flexibility for several formulations.
If you need a mixer that requires frequent cleaning then you should go for one that is easy to clean. In addition, you can choose one that is designed to minimize material build-up to minimize cleaning needs.
Inline High Shear Mixer
The Required Mixture Quality
Select the mixer that will give you the mixture quality that you need.
Consider How To Control Temperature Rise In The Mixer
Product temperature rise is normally unwanted because it might lead to material degradation such as ignition or melting.
It is imperative to consider temperature rise when selecting a micro mixer since temperature rise increases with the mixer’s mixing energy.
Temperature rise might be unavoidable in some mixers making temperature control to be crucial elements in those units.
Mixer’s Operating Cost
You should have in your mind factors that have a bearing on a mixer’s operating cost before you commit to buy.
Careful consideration of those factors will help in ensuring your mixer can be operated economically in your plant.
The factors that determine a mixer’s operating cost include:
- Power demand
- The number of people required to operate the mixer
- Cost of maintenance
- The frequency of downtimes and associated losses
- The supplier’s technical service availability and capability
- Availability of spare parts
- Cost of cleaning
- The amount of waste product between subsequent batches
- The estimated service life of the mixer
- The residual value of the mixer at the end of its estimated service life
Which Is the Appropriate Materials for High Shear Mixer Construction to ensure cGMP Compliance?
To ensure compliance with cGMP regulations, high shear mixers are constructed using stainless steel tank material.
The stainless steel is preferred for its high strength-to-weight ratio that makes it light for its high strength capability.
What Is The Difference Between High Shear Mixer Vs. Low Shear Mixer?
High shear mixing equipment are used for mixing materials that do not blend easily.
The materials can be liquids with different viscosities or solids that must be broken down or need some vigorous action to distribute evenly.
Low shear mixers, in contrast, are used for miscible materials that mix easily from flow and turbulence in the tank.
The substances to be blended do not need to be broken down into smaller sizes for them to blend.
Unlike in high shear mixing, the substances in low shear mixing have a threshold of shear rate which should not be exceeded.
Exceeding the rate would alter the properties of the materials, a phenomenon referred to as shear degradation.
How Does High Shear Mixer Vs High-Pressure Homogenizer Compare?
High pressure homogenizers, unlike high shear mixers, do not use rotor-stator mixing heads or probes.
They operate by forcing liquid mixture into a stream under high pressure into a system made to reduce particle sizes and homogenize components.
The operating principle of a high pressure homogenizer is based on combining shearing, impact, and cavitation.
Due to its closed nature, microbial safety is guaranteed in the high pressure homogenizer than the high shear mixer.
Charging of components is carried out in separate vessels thus minimizing the chances of product contamination.
The other advantage of high pressure homogenizer over high shear mixer is its capability to attain a precise control and repeatability.
It can also respond real-time to changes in parameter and can charge components separately via individual pumps.
The challenge associated with high pressure homogenizers is that their initial cost of installation is quite high compared to high shear mixers.
More than a single pumping unit is also required for high pressure homogenizers implying that larger area is required for the system.
What Are The Key Parts Of High Shear Mixer?
The main parts of a high shear mixer include:
- Mixing impeller
- Control system
- Chopper/Blades
- Discharge port
- Compressed air
- Motor for driving the impeller
- Spray nozzle for binding liquid
- Cylindrical mixing bowl
- Mixing rotor or agitator
- Spraying nozzle
- The external frame
- Sealing means
- Co-mill
Parts of High Shear Mixer
Which Are The Types Of Spraying Nozzles Used In High Shear Mixer?
There are different kinds of spray nozzles that come in various materials, shapes, sizes, and spray patterns.
A suitable spraying nozzle for your mixer should be that which can satisfactorily introduce droplets of the binding solution uniformly on the material.
The common types of spraying nozzles for high shear mixer include:
- Pressure Nozzle
- Air-atomizing nozzle
- Rotary Atomizer
What Are The Major Components Of The Control System Of A High Shear Mixer?
The control system of a high shear mixer is made up of the following major aspects:
Control Hardware
The control hardware refers to the overall system holding together the operational, technological unit of the system, more so the PLC system.
Operational Panel
The operational panel is normally set up on a working platform. It is made up of a touch screen display and Ethernet connections, all of them under a stainless steel casing shield.
The operational panel also has an emergency off switch and ON/OFF buttons that have indicators for showing their state.
Electrical Components
The electrical components of the control system generally consists of the control transformer, the electronic and pneumatic switches, and other electrical parts.
The electrical components are normally housed in one cabinet located in the technical room.
Operating Software
The purpose of the software is to monitor the operations of the entire high shear mixer system.
The operator can launch operations such as spraying, mixing, and chopping from the control panel then the operating software transmits the instructions accordingly.
How Do You Install In-Line High Shear Mixer?
For starters, a new process system should be cleaned before a new shear rotor, stator, or the drive unit is installed in it.
The new system will always contain foreign material that should be removed before using it.
Moreover, the rotor, high shear housing, tank plate, and stator should remain in their packaging to prevent them from contacting dirt.
They should only be taken out at the stage where they are to be fixed in the process vessel.
Having observed the required levels of cleanliness, the following are the installation steps for the in-line shear mixer:
Electrical Installation
The user manual for electrical installations must be strictly adhered to, especially for the control unit.
Sticking to the manual eliminates occurrences of human error that may cause damages to your machine or expose the operators to electrical hazards.
All incoming power must be fitted with an emergency stop near the unit for quick response in case of emergencies.
A lockable ON/OFF switch should also be provided to prevent unauthorized persons from operating it.
Only the specified cables should be used and they should be of the right current and voltage ratings.
The cables must be shielded to prevent electrical hazards and the in-line mixer must also be properly grounded to protect it from damages.
A speed control device also needs to be integrated into the system to keep the speed of the machine within the required limits.
An AC-motor frequency converter that has got an adjustable acceleration/retardation-time can be used.
The AC-motor must be wired as per the provided switchboard scheme. An overload protection must also be provided to protect the motor coil from overheating.
Finally, it must be ensured that all the electric covers and conduit entries are well placed at the end of the installations.
Commissioning Of The Drive Unit
It must be confirmed that the motor is running in the right direction (clockwise direction) after installation.
The high shear rotor may get off the stator and cause mass damages if the motor runs in the wrong direction.
The commissioning test is performed by placing the drive unit on a flat surface then driving it at very low speeds. The tank plate should not be mounted as that is done.
Installing The High Shear Stator On Tank Plate
Follow the steps described in your manual to mount the high shear stator on the tank plate. The stator should be screwed in a clockwise direction into the thread in the high shear tank plate.
As you mount the stator, ensure it is aligned to the centerline of the plate and can be fixed without difficulties.
Besides, don’t use grip tools or other tools other than the recommended stator mounting tools because they can cause damages.
Also, it must be ensured the tank plate is clean before the high shear stator installation process begins.
The stator must also not be wet.
Installing The High Shear Rotor
A high shear rotor should never be connected to the stator while the drive unit is connected to the tank plate.
That is because the strong magnetic forces can severely destroy the bearing.
Using the right tools, the following steps should guide you in installing the high shear rotor:
- Before beginning the installation process, check the rotor to remove any foreign objects especially from the magnetic part.
- Proceed and mount the high shear rotor manually using your hands
- Be cautious as you mount the rotor and ensure it is properly aligned on to the high shear tank plate. You should not drop the rotor onto the mail bearing because the bearing’s surface is delicate and can easily get deformed.
- Try rotating the rotor using your hands just to be sure it will rotate without scratching anything.
High Shear Mixer Rotor
i. Installing The High Shear Housing On The Tank Plate
Place the housing carefully over the high shear tank plate.
Ensure the O-ring gasket is well positioned in the slot on the tank plate and the nuts tightened to the recommended force.
The housing should also not be connected while the drive unit is on to avoid damages due to magnetic force.
ii. Installing The In-Line Housing Unit On The Drive Unit
The duty here is to insert the high shear housing unit on the high shear drive unit.
A flange and screws are used to connect the housing unit to the drive unit.
The inlet and outlet pipes can then be installed using TC clamps
iii. Startup
Your in-line high shear mixing machine is ready for startup after all the installation steps explained above have been understood and fulfilled. However, the following precautions must be observed before starting up the mixer:
- Nobody should be in the vessel when the machine is being turned on. Likewise, you should never work close to the drive unit while it is connected to the source.
- Keep a safe distance from moving parts
- Acceleration, retardation time, and speed levels should be considered to avoid magnetic decoupling during start up and continuous production.
- The housing must be sufficiently filled up with liquid to prevent dry operation that can cause damages.
After observing the above precautions, the startup process for the in-line high shear mixer is as follows:
- The drive unit is connected to the driving source
- Maximum/minimum speed and acceleration/retardation time is set to a value that is designed for the product and system
- Turn on the high shear in-line mixer for a few seconds as you confirm if the mixing head is rotating clockwise.
- Once guaranteed it is running in the right direction, start the mixer slowly and gradually increase its speed to the rotation level needed for operation.
What Are The Safety Precautions During Installation Of High Shear Mixer?
The safety precautions to be observed while installing high shear mixers include:
- The vessel must be depressurized, emptied, and allowed to cool down before any work is done on it. It should also be ventilated to get rid of gases and other poisonous substances
- Welding of various parts must be performed by an authorized welder
- Contact with the outer driving head if it doesn’t have cover must be avoided because it can lead to injuries
- Incorrect rotor rotation direction should be avoided to prevent damages
Which Are The Operation Modes Of High Shear Mixer?
The operation modes for a high shear mixer include:
Manual Mode
In this mode, the operator is in charge of all the crucial functions and working of the mixer. That means that the operator can alter critical parameters of the machine in this mode.
Maintenance Mode
This is a mode where the operator can diagnose or troubleshoot the mixer to initiate repairs. The access to interlock is, however, constrained.
Automated Mode
The automated mode permits you as the operator to organize and regulate the input of ingredients. This mode enables limited operational interaction.
How Does High Shear Mixer Operate?
The high shear machine is made up of parts and components that coordinate its working to granulate materials.
At the very first stage, material is fed into the product container which is conical in shape.
The material then blends with soft and relatively mild materials in the mixing bowl.
The high lateral speed crushing blades of the impeller then cuts down the mixture into smaller and homogenous wet particles.
Also, the particles are then made to go through a chopper to slice and break down the wet lumps to form granules.
The impeller normally rotates at a high speed ranging between 100 RPM to 500 RPM.
It is due to that speed that it is able to dry the particles and disperse the granulating fluid into the shear mixer.
The granulation liquid outside the rotor diameter is at a velocity higher than the velocity at the center.
It is due to that variation in velocity that shear is created.
The chopper part of the mixer moves at ultra-high speeds that can range between 1000 and 3000 RPM.
It is that very high speed that leads to seamless densification of powdered particles.
An electric motor powered reamer is then driven by the high shear mixer. This procedure is useful because it regulates the solubility of the adhesive.
The powder, again, can only densify when integrated with a granulation fluid.
They are all discharged with high power unit mass through the forces coming from the high revolving shear.
High Shear Mixer Operation
In general, the working of a high shear mixer can be summarized to consist of the following five steps:
- Mixing the powder
- Adding the binder automatically to granulate the fluid
- Wetting the powder
- Forming and densifying powder granules
- Attrition and breaking powder granules
What Are The End Products Formed By High Shear Mixer?
The end products of a high shear mixing device include:
- Emulsions – a mixture of two or more liquids that are usually not able to mix because of liquid-liquid phase separation.
- Dispersions – a mixture where distributed particles of one material are dispersed in a continuous phase of another material.
- Suspensions- is a mixture consisting of solid particles that don’t dissolve but are suspended throughout the solvent. The particles float in the solvent.
- Lyosols – products of a mixing procedure where materials to be mixed are introduced onto an agitated medium to form a gel.
- Granulations – grains or granules are produced from powdery or solid substances.
Why Is Equilibrium Mixing Important In The Operation Of High Shear Mixer?
The concept of equilibrium mixing is useful because it can be used to scale up the volume of a particular rotor-stator mixing head.
As observed in experimental tests, a given design of a mixing head may achieve equilibrium mixing over a given time.
Upscaling the volume may, however, give different results.
Equilibrium can be realized faster in a small-scale mixing head compared to a scaled-up full production unit.
How Do You Size The High Shear Mixer Capacity?
The desired throughput in a day will guide you in determining the high shear capacity you will need.
It also helps in knowing the equipment you need to purchase for your manufacturing plant.
Consider a scenario where you would want to produce 320,000 bottles of lotion (each bottle being 300ml) in 16 hours per day.
The number of bottles of lotion you will be able to produce in an hour will be 20,000 bottles (320,000/16).
The volume of lotion produced per hour will be 20,000bottles per hour multiplied by 0.3L per bottle which translates to 100litres per minute.
Assuming 10min per batch, the volume of lotion produced in one batch will be 1,000L per batch.
So from this example, you can go for one 1000 liters high shear mixer or two 500 liters high shear mixers.
There are other considerations to be made in addition to the above calculation steps. They include factors such as:
- Material transport and supply
- Allowance for downtimes
- Duration of mixing
- Efficiency of the machine
Sizing of the high shear mixer should be carried out after weighing all the above factors. Consulting your engineers and financial team can give a useful insight on which factors to focus on.
What Are The Applications Of Industrial High Shear Mixer?
Some applications of the high shear mixer include:
- Homogenization and emulsification of liquid-liquid mixtures
- Powder-liquid mixture dispersions
- Wet milling
- Deagglomeration
- Particle size reduction
- Solid-liquid mixture suspension
Which Industries Commonly Use High Shear Mixers?
The industries that commonly use high shear mixer machines include:
Pharmaceutical Industries
In a pharmacy, a high shear mixer is used in the following ways:
- Producing drugs in tablets form- the granulation technique helps in making tablets in large quantities for medication purposes.
- Making pharmaceutical suspensions and tablet coatings – achieved by disintegrating tablets, dispersing the powders into liquids, then mixing for uniformity.
- Manufacturing pharmaceutical creams and ointments
- Making ophthalmic and contact lens solutions
- Chemical processing industries
- Food and beverages processing industries
Some of the applications of high shear mixers in the food industry include:
- Preparing cloud emulsions for soft beverages
- Making smoothies and sugar syrups
- Making samples for aflatoxin testing
- Processing cheese
- Fertilizer manufacturing industries
- Cosmetics and toiletries industry
Laboratory High Shear Mixer
How Does High Shear Mixer Improve Confectionery Production?
High-shear homogenizers will reduce your wastes and boost raw materials ingredient yield thus helping you to save.
What Are The Primary Benefits Of High Shear Mixer In Food Industry?
The primary benefits of using high-shear mixers in the food industry include:
Improved Shelf Life
High-shear mixing and homogenization improve the shelf-stability of food products.
High pressure homogenization that entails breaking down food component sizes enables the food stuff to stay longer on the shelves.
The pressure subjected to the food products to reduce particle sizes acts to stabilize some chemicals and compounds in the food stuff.
That helps in reducing the likelihood of spoiling.
High-shear mixers designed to operate at controlled temperatures have the benefit of not exposing food stuff to high temperatures.
Food and beverages are always sensitive to high temperatures.
Enhanced Quality Of Food
Using high-shear mixers for mixing food products improves the aesthetic qualities of food.
By making the food particles smaller, high-shear mixing enhances the flavor, color, texture, functionality, and thus the quality and value of food.
High-shear mixers also enable seamless addition of preservatives, emulsifiers, fortifying nutrients, flavor additions, or other additives to food products.
Using a high-shear mixer ensures the uniformity is achieved so that high aesthetic appeal is realized.
Improved food texture increases the value for money perception from customers and they are more likely to buy.
Better Food Preservation
Heat is commonly used in food processing to destroy pathogens that might lead to food spoilage.
The challenge associated with using heat, however, is that it can alter the physical and chemical formation of food products.
High shear mixing can help in achieving the effects of heat treatment without destroying the delicate elements such as enzymes and vitamins.
What Are The Particle Properties To Consider During Selection Of High Shear Mixer?
Depending on the type of application, the particle properties to consider while selecting a high shear mixer include:
- Average particle size
- Largest diameter particle allowed in a suspension
- Conductivity
- Stability
- Viscosity
- Color
- Gloss
What Are The Advantages Of Ultra-High Shear Mixer?
The advantages of using ultra-high shear mixers include:
- Cost-effective and has the ability to deliver intense mixing accompanied by rugged efficiency
- Are capable of producing dispersions and emulsions that are above those produced by multi-stage rotor-stators and colloid mills.
- In certain applications, ultra-high shear mixers can be used instead of high-pressure homogenizers to achieve comparably reduced sizes at remarkably higher throughputs.
- They are simple to operate
Which Are Optional Equipment You Can Attach To High Shear Mixer?
Some of the optional equipment that can be added as accessories to a high shear mixer include:
- Powder Funnel – meant for high shear mixers with vacuum to realize optimum and hygienic introduction of powder.
- Drum Emptying System – designed for a well-organized emptying of the drum so as to minimize wastes.
What Is The High Shear Mixer Price In China?
Just like other capital investments, your expenditure on a high shear mixer machine will be determined by your processing needs and processing applications.
That said, a high shear mixer costs around $35,000 on average in China.
You can, however, realize high returns though if you choose to invest on an inline high shear mixer due to the following benefits:
- Shortened production time
- Increased capacities
- Improved yields
- Reduced energy consumption
- Reduced manufacturing and maintenance costs
Industrial High Shear Mixer
What Are The Key Specifications Of High Shear Mixer To Consider When Ordering For The Equipment?
Before investing in a high-shear mixer, you need to consider the following factors to ensure you select the best mixer for your applications:
- The required processing time
- The initial size of sample
- Rotor tip speed
- Viscosity of fluid
- Volume of materials and sample concentration
- The positioning and type of rotor stator
- Flow rate
Can You Manufacture Customized High Shear Mixer?
Yes, you can have a custom made high-shear mixer that suits your needs designed and manufactured.
All you need to do is to share the specifications you need for your products with your manufacturer.
You might need special installations to accomplish tasks such as cooling, heating, or milling operations.
All that can be designed and tested in labs.
You might also need customized accessories such as control panels, a heating phase tank without the water phase, or size and shape customization. All these can be designed and manufactured.
Does The High Shear Mixer Come With Spare Parts For Key Parts?
Yes, there are spare parts that the high shear mixer comes with for replacement due to wear and tear or damage.
It is important that you stock those spare parts to minimize downtime resulting from breakdown.
What Are The Maintenance Procedure For High Shear Mixer?
To ensure longevity of your high-shear mixer, you need to carry out proper and timely maintenance of the machine. You should take some action if the following parts of your high-shear mixer seem to be experiencing problems:
High-Shear Motor
The high-shear motor should be guarded against external particles, surface damages, or any form of scratches.
Immediate action should be taken should there be any residue left on it or in case it is not rotating at the usual speed.
High-Shear Stator
Careful operation must be ensured to protect the stainless steel from any sort of surface damage.
The O-shaped rings should also be replaced in case they change color or get cracked.
Likewise, the blades should be replaced immediately their teeth get damaged. Nuts can be polished as well.
High Shear Mixer Stator
High Shear Tank Plate
The upper thread of the tank plate is more likely to get damaged. It should be replaced if a screw fails to go into the thread.
Drive Unit
The magnet should be frequently checked for external particles that might be harmful.
Any deposited residue should be cleaned out.
In addition to all the above measures, you should keep all the parts of your high-shear mixer oiled.
Also try to keep its interior safe from harmful external hazards as much as possible and also ensure it stays clean.
How Do You Troubleshoot High Shear Mixer?
The table below lists some problems that might be experienced in high shear mixers together with the recommended measures that should be taken.
Problems | Possible Causes | Actions recommended |
Motor or high shear rotor fails to rotate | – Absence of power during start-up– Overload protection breaker is turned off. – Lots of particles could be accumulated on the magnets | – Inspect the power supply– Inspect the setting amp value or the ambient temperature – Clean the magnets to remove sediments |
High amp value | – Ambient temperature could be too high– The motor may be mechanically overloaded. | – Try chilling the operating environment– Look for transmissions for any signs of overload |
High shear rotor scratches onto high shear tank plate | – Worn out bearing– High shear stator is loosened – Particles deposited on magnets | – Replace bearings– Tighten loose bearings and check direction of rotation – Clean out the deposited particles |
Outer driving head scratches the high shear tank plate | – Warping shaft– Drive unit is not placed properly – Particles deposited on magnets – Outer driving head is loosened | – Replace the motor and adaptor– Clean to remove particles – Tightening the outer driving head against the shaft |
Magnetic disconnection of high shear rotor | – Dry running leading to charging failure– Viscosity changing unexpectedly – Rotor rotating in the wrong direction – Short acceleration or retardation time – Lots of particles sticking on the magnet. | – Acceleration/retardation time to be increased if it’s short– Bearings to be tightened and direction corrected if that’s the cause – Cleaning to remove particles – Further investigation. |
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