Mixers | machinery feature
Creating a stir with the latest mixers
Pat Toensmeier reports on recent developments in
continuous and batch mixers, including improvements in rotor and machine designs
Suppliers of batch and continuous mixers are develop- ing improved machine designs to meet compounders’ changing demands to produce the latest materials formulations more efficiently. These requirements include: l Material versatility and innovation: Compounders are running more specialty resins and ingredients, and in the process dealing with formulations that need fine-tuning to achieve the required properties. Mixers are being upgraded with special equipment and capabilities that allow process tailoring for creating innovative materials. l Higher throughput: Increased productivity means an improved return on investment, but only if materials meet quality standards. Mixing systems are being engineered for high throughputs, notably in screw, rotor and mixing-blade designs that boost output with no trade-offs in quality. l Energy efficiency: Cost savings go right to the bottom line. In some countries, reductions in energy also satisfy regulatory standards. l Automation: Reducing manual input saves money and assures consistent quality in batch and continuous machines. l Profitability: Many high-tech compounds go into
www.compoundingworld.com
commodity applications, putting downward pressure on production prices. The ability of mixing to improve margins is an important tactic in a strategy aimed at increasing profitability. Over the following pages we review recent continu- ous and batch mixer developments from Farrel Pomini, TPEI, Ajax Equipment, B&P Process Equipment, Mixaco, Promixon and Marion Mixers.
Continuous improvements Recent developments at Farrel Pomini include the extension of the CP (Compact Processor) Series II range of continuous mixers. Launched this year, the CP4000 achieves a nominal throughput of 4,000 kg/hour (8,800 lb/hr) and bridges the gap between modular continuous mixers that are integrated into a unitized frame, and the company’s higher-output non-unitized designs that can process materials at rates above 6,000 kg/hour. The CP4000 is the seventh and final model in the line, says Paul Lloyd, business unit director at Farrel in the US. This is because the unitized frame of the modular series cannot be duplicated for higher output mixers. “Any mixer with throughput above 4,000 kg/hour will require different construction,” he explains. “The CP4000 is the maximum size for this platform concept.”
November 2014 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 53
Farrel Pomini’s new CP4000 mixer has a number of process
variables that
improve mixing and throughput
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88