Heinz innovation team finds novel use for a familiar mixing technology.Say “Heinz,” and everyone thinks of ketchup. After all, the company that began delivering Heinz Ketchup to local grocers with a horse-drawn wagon in 1876 is now the world’s foremost producer of ketchup. Each year, Heinz uses about 2.5 million tons of tomatoes to produce
With pharmaceuticals, using direct compression (transferring a mixture from a mixer directly to a tablet press) typically involves a mixture with a low concentration of active ingredients
Every task requires a defined amount of energy to accomplish. This statement also embraces the science of mixing.
To properly package our material, we add an active ingredient in less than 5 percent concentration to a carrier that acts almost like a diluent. What kind of mixer should we use, and how should we add the ingredients to get good mixing?
Q: Most of the processes in my specialty chemical company are batch and handle only dry materials. However, some materials go through a paste phase. Can one mixer handle both dry materials and pastes? A: Yes, but your company will have to invest more capital in the more sophisticated mixer required, when for most of
Q: My material goes through a wet granulation step in a tumble blender (double cone blender) to avoid segregation downstream. But the granulated material contains agglomerates, formed by liquid droplets in the blender, and I have to treat the agglomerates before I can use the material downstream. How can I avoid the agglomerates? A: Wet
Particle degradation can be deterioration in quality from a reaction (such as spoilage of a food product) or size change (such as breaking friable particles). Deterioration in quality is usually obvious from simply looking at the mixture. Size change is less obvious, so you’ll need to compare a mixture sample with samples of the ingredients
Q:When I analyze material samples taken from our ribbon blender mixer's vessel, the mixing quality is okay, but I find mixing quality and weight variations in the final packages. How can I avoid this? A: A mixture like yours, which segregates after it leaves the ribon blender mixer, can cause major problems. For instance, with
While demixing is less likely in a ribbon blender mixer or double shaft paddle blender than in a tumble blender, it can still occur. During mixing a ribbon mixer or paddle blender fluidizes the materials. If the batch is discharged during operation, mixing - while not totally random - is relatively uniform, without segregation. However,
Q: we use a tumble blender and a ribbon blender mixer. I've heard that if you mix too long, you can undo the mixing result when using a tumble blender. What is this "demixing" and what causes it? A: Unlike most liquid blends, in which mutually soluble form a stable blend that doesn't degrade over