Mixing, Drying & Cooling

Rotary Mixer Keeps Hot-Melt Adhesives Cool

Application Notes & Case Studies /

The mixer, which has a useable batch capacity of 40 cu ft (1.13 m3), operates in a dedicated room that also houses a belt conveyor, bag breaking station, and screw conveyor. Here, an operator transfers 55 lb (25 kg) bags of ingredients from pallets to the belt conveyor, which terminates at a bag dump station into which material is dumped. An integral screw conveyor transfers the material into the inlet of the mixer while it is rotating. Once the last bag is added, the mixer continues running for 20 minutes. At the end of the cycle, the operator flips a switch, actuating an air cylinder that opens the mixer’s stationary outlet. With the vessel continuing to rotate, the 1,000 lb (454 kg) batch discharges through a collapsible chute into a mobile bin.

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Rotary Batch Mixer Facilitates Proprietary Nutraceutical Processes

Application Notes & Case Studies /

The company’s products range from anti-aging supplements and sports nutrition to vitamins and meal replacements. The company has developed proprietary manufacturing processes that rely on a model 700-TS-50-SS Rotary Batch Mixer from Munson Machinery. Most batches include one or more liquid additions, which are introduced into the 50 cu ft (1,416 L) mixer through spray bars with exchangeable spray tips, enabling the addition of aqueous and oil-based liquids by the liter or milliliter and as a fine vapor. The spray bars operate in conjunction with subsystems for heating and cooling the liquids and dehumidifying and pressurizing the mixer vessel.
In the case of nutraceuticals, another clear goal is the removal of all possible contaminants, including products of previous processing: bits of paper and bag liners, closures, scale from processing equipment upstream, etc., that ends up in the product fraction.

Whether a particular ingredient requires sifting/screening, scalping, de-lumping or conditioning to create a homogeneous powder ready for blending, manufacturers generally have a choice of these innovative technologies.

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Security Screening and Deagglomeration of Nutritional Supplements Prior To Batch Blender

Application Notes & Case Studies /

An international processor of nutritional supplements needed a compact in-line solution to security screen and de-agglomerate a multitude of ingredients before they entered a V-blender for final mixing. The customer was utilizing a Quadro Vac®to vacuum transfer the ingredients from a bag dump station, loaded by operators, to the V-blender. The ingredients were loaded via various bag and drums and an in-line security screening method was necessary to catch any impurities before they entered the V-blender. The customer wanted a unit that could be quickly integrated into their process with minimal changes, and be simple in design so it could be easily cleaned.

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Heavy-Duty Mass-Flow Twin Screw Feeders and Bucket Elevators for Ground Rubber

Application Notes & Case Studies /

KWS designed and manufactured twin mass-flow screw feeders to match hoppers supplied by Hoover Conveyor. The screw feeders were 23-feet in length. The mass-flow screws were mounted on oversized heavy-duty pipe to reduce deflection under load. KWS understands difficult applications and designs heavy-duty systems to meet demanding operating conditions. Each screw feeder was equipped with two low-rpm, high torque gear reducers to feed the material under packed, upset conditions.

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Loading Shredded Rubber into Super Sacks

Application Notes & Case Studies /

Genan, the largest scrap tire recycler in the world, needed a solution for feeding and elevating shredded rubber into super sacks. Shredded rubber is loaded in bulk into a hopper with an inclined screw feeder and discharged into a bucket elevator where it lifts the rubber and discharges into new super sacks. The shredded rubber is used in the manufacture of new tires, additives in asphalt and to cushion artificial turf in sports fields or playgrounds.

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Twin Screw Conveyor for EPDM Rubber

Application Notes & Case Studies /

Customer needed a solution for conveying EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene monomer) rubber particles. KWS worked closely with Lion Copolymer to design a unique conveyor for the application. EPDM rubber is fed into the conveyor by a perforated dryer belt that travels across the top of the twin screw conveyor. Excess EPDM falls through the perforations where they get picked up by the twin screw conveyor and discharged into a collection bin. EPDM rubber is used in a wide variety of outdoor and automotive applications due to the resistance to oxygen, ozone, heat and weathering.

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Hollow Flight Thermal Processor for Heating Rubber Powder

Application Notes & Case Studies /

Engineers at KWS designed a thermal processor based on the customer’s required volumetric capacity and necessary heating requirements. The KWS hollow flight design provides a path for heating media to flow through the full length of the screw flights delivering maximum surface area for heat transfer. Additionally, the center pipe and jacket around the trough also provide additional surface area for heat transfer. The combined surface area heats MRP from minus 90 to greater than 80-degrees F.

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Tea Blend Time and Degradation Cut with Rotary Mixer

Application Notes & Case Studies /

The stainless steel Munson blender uses a gravity-driven mixing process, which employs internal mixing flights that produce a tumble-turn-cut-fold mixing action said to yield 100 percent batch uniformity in less than three minutes using minimal energy. Internal spray lines built into the mixer allow for a wide, even spray of natural flavors. The company runs the mixer continuously for 15 to 20 minutes per batch to prevent stratification of ingredients throughout loading and final discharge with no residual.

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Rotary Batch Blending Consistency Grows Gourmet Coffee Bean Business

Application Notes & Case Studies /

Internal mixing flights of the rotary mixer alternate in direction for gravity-driven cascading of the material back and forth, producing a 100 percent uniform blend in three minutes or less. The flights also serve to direct the beans toward the discharge port, evacuating the vessel in three to four minutes with no residual in the machine. The mixer has a stationary intake chute fed by a mechanical conveyor, and is fully enclosed, containing dust and preventing contamination of the product.

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