Six strategies for combating abrasion in your low-speed blender — Part I
Abrasion problems aren't confined to high-speed mixing equipment: They also affect low-speed blenders — namely, ribbon blenders and vertical cone screw blenders — with equally serious results. This two-part article outlines six strategies for fighting abrasion in your low-speed blender. Part I covers the first two strategies as well as low-speed blender basics and tips for assessing the wear potential of your abrasive materials. Part II, which will appear in the July issue, covers the final four abrasion-fighting strategies.
In a high-speed, high-energy mixer with 7,000-fpm or higher tip speeds, abrasive dry bulk materials can erase an agitator blade's steel edge in no time. But abrasive wear can also seriously damage low-speed blenders -- whether a ribbon blender or vertical cone screw blender -- with tip speeds of just a few hundred feet per minute. In fact, after only a year or two of mixing abrasive materials, your low-speed blender can end up with paper-thin agitators and a shaft ready for the scrap pile.