There are horizontal mixers spread throughout many industries. Most are manufactured with a U-Tough design and are mixed with the use of single armed paddles. The single paddled arms agitate the material and are typically driven with a small horse power motor. The tip speed of the paddle is usually at 2 to 3 meters/second. At this speed, material is tumbled and folded onto itself. Due to the single paddled arms and the smaller associated motor, the mixing time can take up to 15-20 minutes dependent on the unit’s size.
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In a Reliance Industries unit that is manufactured with a cylindrical design the material is mixed with cross-flow paddles. The arms extend the full length of the mixers diameter and have paddles on both ends. The cross-flow paddles cover the entire length of the mixer twice. In order to mix the material properly within the cylinder a higher horsepower motor is used to create a forced fluid bed in the mixer. This produces a homogeneous blend of ingredients that may have different particle sizes and different specific gravitates in a short time without an appreciable rise in temperature. The cylindrical design and close clearance between the blade and the mixer body insures there are no “dead spots” in the mixer. Material is typically mixed in 3-5 minutes.
