Mixing Mechanics: The perfect particle-mixer marriage
Once you’ve determined that your desired mixture is feasible, you need to find the right equipment to achieve that mixture. This column provides some guidelines for selecting the right mixer.
To achieve a well-blended mixture, you must create a successful marriage between the particles to be mixed, your operating conditions, and a mixer. The first piece in this perfect marriage is understanding your particles. Are all the particles granular and free-flowing? Or is one or more of the mixture components cohesive? A simple hand test -- similar to a cake test -- can help determine some level of cohesivity: Simply take a handful of the powder and try to form a ball with it. If it holds together, it has some cohesivity. The amount of cohesivity is one key to choosing the proper mixer.