Mixing, Drying & Cooling

The rotary blender produces a homogeneous mixture while gently folding and tumbling the material, preventing product degradation. The unit’s internal mixing flights alternate in direction for “back flow blending,” an active, gravity-driven cascading of the material back and forth as it passes through the vessel, which is turning at low rpm. The resulting mixing action is said to preclude the product degradation and heat build-up associated with ribbon blades, paddles, or plows being forced through material contained in stationary mixing vessels.

Improving its mixing operation enabled the company to double production. “We purchased a Rotary Batch Mixer from Munson in 2014 to increase production capacity,” he says. “Although the mixer has a three-ton capacity, we typically mix about two tons (1.8 metric tons) at a time. Daily throughput is about 15 tons (13.6 m t),” Reddy says, “and 300 to 400 tons (272 to 363 m t) per month, depending on demand for product.”

The V-cone blenders did the job on the existing calcium and vitamin D production lines, but typically were taking 45 to 60 minutes per batch to achieve the desired uniformity, prompting the purchase of a 40 cu ft (1133 l) capacity stainless steel model 700-TS-40-SS Rotary Batch Mixer from Munson Machinery. The unit contains internal mixing flights that tumble, cut, turn and fold the batch, causing particles to recombine 288 times per minute, achieving batch uniformity in four minutes, or 11 to 15 times faster than the company’s V-cone blenders. The company also gained production flexibility, as the mixer is equally efficient from 100% down to 15% of rated capacity.