Ribbon blenders are popular for blending powders, liquids, and pastes. They’re also easy to clean and less energy intensive than other mixers. Many industries need to produce dry ingredients or powdered products. This includes spices, instant recipes, drinks, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics.
Low Maintenance
Compared to other mixing types, ribbon blender mixers require less maintenance due to their close tolerances. The interior stainless steel surfaces of the mixer are polished to an 80- or 150-grit finish, helping reduce material build-up and making it easier for workers to access and clean the agitator. Many companies replace their ribbon blender’s traditional belt drive with a gear motor to reduce maintenance costs. However, it’s important to note that a large motor can overpower a ribbon blender’s standard-duty agitator shaft and spokes, leading to bending or breakage. To avoid this, manufacturers should use a gear motor that works well with electronic inverters, providing speed control and soft start capabilities. This will help prevent excessive vibration and product migration during mixing.
Accurate Mixing
Ribbon mixers are ideal for mixing granules, dry powders, and pellets. These blenders are also used as coaters to coat solid particles with a liquid component uniformly. They are excellent for blending lubricants and other additives to make pharmaceutical products work as intended. The gentle mixing action eliminates dead zones in the container and ensures high product quality. The agitator of the ribbon mixer comprises inner and outer helical ribbons that are pitched to move materials axially and radially. These motions ensure highly homogenous mixing and blending within the shortest possible time. Proper sizing is critical when choosing the suitable ribbon mixer for your needs. Mixer length, volume, width, and height must all be considered, as well as the agitator size.
Low Energy Consumption
Ribbon blenders are a highly efficient mixing machine. This is due to the unique design that allows them to process higher bulk-density materials. These machines can also process granules and other dry solids that are difficult to mix using other mixer types. This means you can make many different products without worrying about investing in multiple mixers. This is especially important for companies with limited space and budgets. The U-shaped trough of a ribbon mixer contains precisely pitched inner and outer ribbons that tumble and carry material in well-balanced axial and radial flow patterns within short cycle durations. Depending on your application, they can also be fitted with a dust-tight or fluid-tight discharge valve. Direct-drive ribbon blenders are also more energy efficient than belt- or chain-driven models. Issues like belt stretches and excessive overhung loads are eliminated in direct-driven blenders.
Easy to Operate
Ribbon blender machines are easy to operate, and they can handle a wide variety of processes. They’re ideal for blending dry ingredients such as baking mixes, instant recipes, powdered drink mixes, and nutraceutical products. They also work well in pharmaceutical applications to mix binders and other essential chemicals for tablet formulations or life-saving drugs. Ribbon mixers have a U-shaped trough and ribbon agitator that moves materials in two directions to reduce mixing time. This helps ensure that all materials are correctly mixed and ready for production. Modern ribbon blenders use direct-drive motors instead of belt or chain drives. This eliminates overhung loads on the motor and gear reducer shaft bearings and reduces maintenance. They also work well with electronic inverters, providing varying speeds and overload protection.
Economical
Ribbon blenders can be used in various industries because they have exceptional blending capabilities. This makes them ideal for food processing, nutraceutical, and cosmetic applications. They can mix spices, instant recipes, powdered drink mixes, and supplements. They are also helpful in the pharmaceutical industry for mixing binders and fillers to produce tablets and capsules. Ribbon mixers are made of stainless steel and have a unique construction that allows them to blend dry ingredients quickly and efficiently. They have a U-shaped horizontal trough and an agitator that rotates. The agitator has spokes that support outer and inner helical blades called ribbons. The interior ribbons gently tumble the materials, while the exterior ribbons move in a counter-lateral and radial direction to mix the ingredients thoroughly.
