Whitepapers

As competition in virtually all industries intensifies and becomes more global, all manufacturers Are trying to do more with less in order to remain competitive. On the process line, that means producing more product in faster mix cycles, with higher quality.

The drive to remain competitive also requires an ongoing effort to eliminateredundant pieces of equipment and combine separate process steps wherever possible. The new breed of multi-agitator mixers are ideal contenders to take on this challenge, becausethey offer an extraordinary level of efficiency. In fact, multi-shaft mixers often enable manufacturers to retire specialized pieces of equipment by combining multiple mixing steps into an integrated, multi-step cycle within one mix vessel.

Multi-agitator mixers truly offer remarkable versatility. With several independent agitators and a flexible control system, these mixers can readily switch gears to accommodate a fast-changing variety of products. While this presents an obvious advantage for contract manufacturers whose business is based on short campaigns and fast changeover, it can also be extremely advantageous for manufacturers who are simply looking for greater flexibility on the plant floor. Flexible process lines - capable of handling a diverse range of products - can make any plant more responsive to changes in market demand and other business pressures.

A "multi-agitator" mixer (sometimes called a "multi-shaft" mixer)is typically defined as a mixer with two or three agitators mounted on shafts that are stationary within the vessel. Unlike planetary mixers, the shafts in a "Multi-Agitator Mixer" turn on their own individual axes but do not orbit the vessel. This lack of orbital movement restricts the mixer to materials with a peak viscosity of approximately 500,000 centipoise (cps), but it also makes the mixerextremely cost effective.