Guide to Mixers and Blenders

This guide is designed to provide an overview of the wide range of sanitary mixers and blenders used in hygienic processing applications in food & beverage processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and related industries. It is intended as a primer to aid process engineers and project managers in determining what particular type of mixer or blender to select for a specific application, focusing on factors such as:

• Mixing efficiency
• Results obtained
• Maintenance requirements
• Reliability

We will provide a general overview of the various types of sanitary mixers and blenders available on the market, their uses, how they work, and the advantages and disadvantages of each when used with different types of materials.

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Overview of Sanitary Mixers and Blenders

Sanitary mixers are machines that blend, mix, homogenize, or emulsify various product ingredients in a processing plant. They are used extensively in hygienic industries, including food & beverage processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and the home and personal care industries.

Indeed, for these types of businesses, it may accurately be said that mixing and blending is one of the key value-added steps in the manufacturing process. Unlike mixers found in the home, sanitary mixers are large and complex pieces of machinery.

To maintain hygienic standards, the majority of hygienic mixing tasks are performed in closed containers with limited air supplies and under controlled temperatures.

In the hygienic processing industries, mixers prepare a wide variety of products, including:

• Toothpaste
• Food coloring
• Syrups
• Beverages such as milk and soft drinks
• Medical ointments
• Lotions
• Creams
• Vitamins
• Shampoos
• Hair dyes

In food processing factories, mixers add stabilizing preservatives to make food products transportable and suitable for consumption. Operators may use them to combine different types of solids (as is the case with powder mixers) and liquids of various types (both viscous and non-viscous). Mixers may also be used in specialized applications to mix a liquid into a solid or a gas.

Specific types of mixers are designed and engineered to handle each of these varying applications, as will be shown in the subsequent sections of this guide.