Planetary mixers

Planetary mixers: description and function

Planetary mixers are versatile mixers which, in addition to preparing mixtures, can be used to dissolve, knead and blend various types of materials. They can work with materials of a pasty nature, including gels or adhesives, or with high viscosity (> 8 MMcP) and high densities.

Their effectiveness is proven for solid-liquid, liquid-liquid, solid-solid mixtures or when incorporating dry products into pasty solutions.

Functionally, planetary-type mixers are vertical mixers that consist of a tank that operates at atmospheric pressure or can operate under vacuum. It can also be equipped with a heating or cooling jacket, according to the requirements of the processing.

What is interesting, and what differentiates the planetary mixer from the common mixers, is the set of internal accessories, consisting of mixing paddles and scraper blades that perform independent and distinctive movements to optimise the mixing processing.

The planetary agitator blades move in such a way that they sweep the entire circumference of the tank while rotating on their own axis. This movement is similar to that of the planets in the solar system, hence the designation. The processing also incorporates a scraper blade that moves in a circular motion scraping the product that remains on the walls to integrate it back into the mixture.

The selection of the type of agitator blades depends mainly on the viscosity of the product. For high viscosities, helicoidal or sword blades are preferred.

Advantages of the industrial planetary mixer

The advantages of using a planetary mixer as part of the processing are many and varied:

It allows additives to be incorporated into the viscous mixture, even in very low proportions, less than 1%, ensuring uniform distribution.

They are ideal for the treatment of products that are sensitive to high shear energies or that are mechanically deformed in the processing of mixtures, especially in the case of gels and pastes of a thixotropic nature, which could see their viscosity modified by the effect of mixing.

In the preparation of highly abrasive viscous products, the short contact time minimises equipment wear. The planetary mixers also optimise heat transfer, especially in the case of temperature-sensitive product mixtures.

If you need additional information on planetary mixers in stock, or require equipment for a specific application, please call or write via the Foeth contact form.

Buy the planetary mixer for your processing at Foeth!