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Paddle Blender
How it Works
Benefits of Choosing a ROSS Paddle Blender
What does a ROSS Paddle Blender do?
While most free-flowing powders are routinely mixed in a Ribbon Blender, fragile solids as well as abrasive formulations sometimes benefit from the gentler agitation of a paddle-style agitator. ROSS Paddle Blenders are ideal for certain kinds of trail mixes with friable and delicate ingredients, food products containing discrete vegetable or fruit pieces, polymer beads, sands and ceramics, to name a few. The Paddle Blender can heat, cool, or dry materials under vacuum. It can also coat solid particles with small amounts of liquid. In addition, it can mix wet applications such as soups, batters, slurries and certain pastes.
How does a ROSS Paddle Blender work?
Paddle Blenders consist of a U-shaped horizontal trough and a solid agitator shaft mounted with paddle blades. The paddles are precisely pitched to move material both radially and axially, in opposite directions. Compared to a ribbon agitator design which inherently generates pinch points near the vessel walls where delicate product may be compressed, the paddle agitator has less surface area at the periphery and imparts a gentler blending action with less heat development.
Features at a Glance
Why Choose a ROSS Paddle Blender
Design – ROSS Paddle Blenders are fabricated from thick, high quality stainless steel wetted parts, in sizes ranging from ½ to 1000 cubic feet capacity. The agitator is driven by a compact one-piece motor reducer (gearmotor) which offers greater efficiency and performance compared to belt- and chain-driven designs. Various optional features are available including custom ports on the cover, heating/cooling jacket, vacuum capability, interchangeable ribbon agitator, sanitary finishes, all-stainless steel construction, spray nozzles for liquid additions, pressure feed vessels, pneumatically-operated covers and valves, explosion-proof motors and controls.
Safety - All ROSS Paddle Blenders come standard with OSHA-compliant safety shaft guards (no external moving parts); NEMA 12 safety limit switches preventing operation of the agitator when cover is open; an FDA-compliant silicon cover gasket and a dust-tight knife gate discharge valve to minimize dusting. Clamps securing the cover to the trough may be supplied to further reduce dust and fume migration. Customizable safety grating, bag dump stations, automated valves and various other operator-friendly options are offered.
Ease of Use – ROSS Paddle Blenders utilize a gearmotor which works well with a variable frequency drive and able to accommodate frequent start/stop cycles while providing enhanced speed control, overload protection and adjustable starting torques. Maintenance is simple; operators do not need to periodically align and adjust belts or couplings. Optional PLC recipe controls enhance batch-to-batch consistency, enable data logging and can be configured for remote access from a smart device.
Customizability – Special materials of construction including Hastelloy C-276, abrasive-resistant carbon steel and other alloys can be supplied for demanding applications. Heavier duty, higher horsepower options are offered to meet high density blending requirements. Air-purged mechanical seals, end wall scrapers, high-performance sanitary valves, load cell systems and other upgrades are available. ROSS Paddle Blenders can be designed for vacuum operation up to 29.5”Hg as well as positive internal pressure. A cylindrical trough, in lieu of the classic U-shaped trough, may also be supplied.
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Technical Data
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Additional Resources
Blending abrasive solids
Solid blends containing abrasive particles may be processed in a ribbon blender, vertical cone screw blender or tumble blender. The advantages and disadvantages of these blender designs are discussed in this bulletin, as well as some strategies for combating abrasive wear.
Recommended Mixing Equipment for Sunscreen and Sun Tan Lotions
Mixing is a critical step in the production of sunscreen, largely because proper dispersion of the active ingredients and additives directly impacts the end product's efficacy and stability. This bulletin describes several high shear mixing technologies utilized in the manufacture of sunscreen and sun tan lotions. Mixer selection is based on a number of factors, primarily viscosity profile and shear input.
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Paddle Blenders Mix Powders on a Bulk Scale
In these unprecedented times, the growing need for companies in the manufacturing space to have the ability to produce products in the US and have greater control of the supply chain has never been more important. When Intermountain Blending & Filling (IBF), a full-service contract manufacturer based in Idaho’s Treasure Valley, was looking for new processing equipment to compound a complex product, they turned to NY-based Charles Ross and Son Co., a leader in mixing and blending technology.