IQS Newsroom Articles on Paddle Mixers
Paddle Mixers
Similar in construction and application to ribbon blenders, paddle mixers are a type of horizontal agitator used in the mixing, blending and conditioning of dry friable materials, sludges and slurries. Paddle mixers are constructed around a horizontal rotating axis with broad shearing paddles radiating from spokes around the axis. Precision paddle mixers have forward facing and reverse facing paddles which help to properly rotate material from one end of the tank to the other and back. The axis and paddles are generally contained in a semi-cylinder of stainless steel or aluminum alloys; pneumatic powder feeders, liquid dosing feeders and outlets are often integrated as part of a paddle mixing system for easy, precise ingredient adding and product extraction.
Paddle mixers are used commonly for mixing dry materials such as coffee, sugar, minerals, drywall, chemicals and agricultural feed among many other food, pharmaceutical and chemical products. Because paddle mixers' efficient shearing motion creates relatively little resistance during mixing, paddle mixers are often used for mixing heavy resistance solids, sludges and slurries including plaster, detergents, caulking, rubber, oil sludge and fertilizers. Paddle mixers with close-tolerance design can mix effectively at as low as 20% volume capacity, acquiring less wear than ribbon blenders and other types of agitators due to its low resistance design and slower required mixing speeds.