Blending things together seems straightforward, however, nothing could be further from the truth. Nuances in manufacturing can often bolster production and profit or hinder growth. As technology and techniques advance at a rapid pace, it can be difficult to stay up-to-date on all available offerings. Blending is one area where there are many options and emerging styles, while also being a backbone of many production chains.
The most common types of large-scale blenders for production in the United States are the ribbon blender and the paddle blender, each with their own set of pros, cons, and fans in the manufacturing world. The popularity of fluidizer blenders has been growing in the American manufacturing scene for the last twenty-five years, but they have long been used in manufacturing abroad. Foreign competition has been especially troublesome for domestic production firms lately, but through matching or surpassing their advanced technology and top of the line equipment you can stay relevant and dominant.
Fluidizer blenders have shorter blades mounted at an angle that allows for quicker mixing. The traditional ribbon blender simply cannot keep up with a fluidizer due to their longer, spiraled blades. The extra craftsmanship required to assemble a fluidizer, as well as more raw materials, does increase the upfront cost some. However, through increased production in your plant, the initial price will rapidly pay itself off.
The life of machinery is on a bathtub curve, operating for most of its lifespan at maximum efficacy with a low chance of malfunctions or breakage. On the tail end of the equipment’s life, it will gradually get riskier to operate. If your current industrial mixers are nearing this period of uncertainty it makes much more sense to sell them second-hand to an emerging firm or scrap them. Investing in a newer model or design of industrial mixer can boost your production while giving peace of mind that you will avoid potential downtime in the future.
