John R Boone Continuous Paste Mixers Application Story:
An enquiry was received from Gaskell Textiles PLC, for a continuous mixer to make a latex emulsion and rubber crumb into paste mixture for depositing onto a textile weave to produce carpet underlay's.
This was a case where only a continuous mixing process could be considered as the underlay had to be cured in a tunnel oven and the latex foam could only be produced effectively as a continuous operation.
The client wanted to increase production and at the same time
increase the width of the underlay's. The existing continuous paste mixers
have been assessed for the duty but was found to be very difficult to control,
had erratic mixing behaviour, little flexibility to increase output and was
almost impossible to clean at the end of a shift.
The resulting time to select and produce an alternative mixer was therefore
short and critical to the overall process
Tests were required to select the best paste mixers for the
different formulations and process requirements.
As the Latex foam degrades after a few minutes a 200L Horizontal Helical Blade
Mixer ( HHBM ) was taken to site to test using the existing foam making equipment.
The correct amount of foam and rubber crumb was measured into the mixer.
By the second test all the necessary data was obtained to design a continuous
mixer and provide for easy cleaning at the end of the shift.
The final design incorporates the patented clean arm attachment and interrupted spiral of the HHBM ( Ribbon Mixer ) with a fully accessible trough via two interlocked doors, combined with an adjustable weir, the unit is quick to adjust the output and easy to clean.
The final product has a bulk density of 450Kg/M3 and looks very
similar to soft ice cream.
It is worth noting that due to the inherent flexibility of the HHBM ( Ribbon
Mixer ) design these paste mixers are able to handle a wide range of product
compositions and physical characteristics. For example products as diverse
as cocoa butter and car body filler paste.
The client is extremely pleased with John R Boone’s input, for not only did the equipment meet all the requirements it was delivered on time on a tight schedule.
A video showing the extensive range of applications John
R Boones Mixers & Blenders can undertake is available, call now to order
a copy or request a free of charge test on your most difficult products.
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