From Lumpy to Smooth: A Simple Guide to Industrial Mixing and Grinding

Manufacturers of products such as paint and ink and cosmetics and pesticides know that the kind of textures they can produce has a big impact on how well their products perform in the marketplace. Nobody wants to purchase a gritty-looking sunscreen, nor would anyone want to purchase paint that has lumps in it. To produce a liquid that is smooth and consists of the same particle size requires the use of specialized equipment.

When looking through the industrial machinery catalogues, it may seem like you are reading in another language, due to the large number of different machines that appear to do nearly the same thing. Do you require a mixer? A disperser? A grinding mill? 

In this article we will provide a basic explanation of equipment necessary for converting raw powders and liquids into top quality products, and highlight the Wet Grinding System, Disperser and Tanks.

Stage 1: Blending the Ingredients (Preparing to Disperse Powder)

Before you can resolve any issues related to how smooth your product can eventually become at the microscopy level, you must first mix your solid powder(s) in with your liquid vehicle. You are not going to be able to add dry powder into a tank of liquid with a spoon and expect it to mix well. Therefore, you will need powerful equipment to achieve this.

In this respect, a High Speed Agitator Disperser provides the required capabilities.

The High Speed Agitator Disperser can be thought of as a very large, commercial-grade blender-type machine. This type of machine typically consists of an assembly of a disc with "saw-teeth" around the outside edge attached to a long shaft that drives the disc(s) inside the tank at high speeds of 100 to 5,000 RPM. As the disc rotates, it generates a strong, swirling vortex (similar to that of a tornado), causing the dry product to move downwards into the liquid and simultaneously breaking apart any large clumps of dry powder.

In many formulations, this type of mixer serves as the primary means of homogenising the ingredients in preparation for additional stages. The High Speed Agitator Disperser does not have to necessarily grind the particles to the smallest size possible. However, it is a homogenising device that produces a more uniform mixture in their current particle size form to prepare them to be processed with more intensive equipment in the next step of the manufacturing process.

Step 2. Fine Grinding with Wet Bead Mills

If you have a product that needs to be as fine as possible, such as the ink used in printers or the gloss finish of high-end paint, then more than just dispersing the product will suffice. The particles will need to be crushed rather than simply mixed. This step also ushers you into the world of wet grinding system.

The most well-known (and typically used) piece of equipment for this process is the Wet Bead Mill.

It operates essentially on the principle of spinning hard beads (usually ceramic or glass) at high speeds within a chamber. When you pass your liquid formulation through the chamber, the myriad collisions between moving beads causes any solids in the liquid to become trapped between these beads.

This is effectively the same as thousands of miniature hammers continually pounding the solids until they break down to an extremely fine particle size. Wet Bead Mill are very efficient machines and can run continually, providing a uniformity of consistency for every single drop of your product.

Step 3: Complete Your Setup (The Tank)

It is easy to become enamored with the grinding beads and motors used to grind, but it’s equally important to consider the vessel in which you will perform that work. This is the tank where the magic happens.

As you develop your production line, it will be critical for you to determine an Industrial Agitator Tank Manufacturer that you can rely upon when purchasing tanks for your production line. Not all tanks are the same. Depending on the product you will create in your production line, your tanks may need to be equipped with:

Heatsink: The grinding and mixing processes utilize a large amount of friction to create heat; therefore, a good tank will have a “jacket” (or double-walled construction), to allow for running cooling water through the jacket to prevent any possible overheating to your product.

Corrosion Resistant: If you intend to mix harsh solvents or acids in the tank, you cannot rely on your regular steel tanks as they will eventually corrode and/or dissolve. Using high-grade stainless steel in your tanks is critical.

Vacuum: If you will be mixing materials in a vacuum, your tank must be rated for holding vacuum.

Finding a company who understands these requirements is as important as purchasing a good grinder for your production line.

Summary

Making superior quality liquid products requires two main actions. You must first wet the powders and blend (break-down) any large clumps using a High Speed Agitator Disperser. The second action is to create the smooth and ultra-finishing effect by further processing through a Wet Bead Mill.

By obtaining a quality Wet Grinding System from a proper Industrial Agitator Tank Manufacturer, you can ensure a high-quality production process, leading to a consistently high-quality final product on a continual basis.