MUNSON® Fluidized Bed Mixers are recommended when mixing low- to medium-density materials (≤50 lbs/ft3 or ≤800 kg/m3) ranging from powders to pellets — particularly friable materials — with or without liquid additions, in applications requiring short cycle times, relatively gentle product handling and infrequent wash downs.
The MUNSON Fluidized Bed Mixer is among the fastest of all mixers, with cycle times of 10 seconds to two minutes, with 30 seconds typical, yielding a ~5% CV (coefficient of variation).
Flat, angular paddles with overlapping paths effectively sweep material from two parallel U-shaped troughs toward the center and upward, causing it to become airborne in a "fluidized zone" above the longitudinal centerline of the mixing chamber, where discreet particles of batch ingredients readily intersperse, regardless of disparities in particle size, shape or bulk density.
The fluidized zone is also an ideal location in which to spray high- or low-viscosity liquids, which disperse more readily and can be added in relatively high volumes while maintaining free-flowing characteristics of the batch.
This fluidized mixing action also creates less shear than other agitated blenders which, together with extremely short mixing times, results in less product degradation.
The fluidized bed mixer also discharges more rapidly, through its full-length, drop-bottom gates, allowing material to empty from the machine rapidly.
And whereas ribbon, paddle and plow blenders leave a pronounced "heel" of material in the trough following discharge, the fluidized bed mixer evacuates a much greater percentage of material, reducing the need to manually remove — and waste — material between product changeovers.
The MUNSON Fluidized Bed Mixer is configured with two counter-rotating shafts turning paddle agitators rapidly within two, parallel U-shaped troughs.
MUNSON Fluidized Bed Mixers are offered in capacities from 0.21 to 280 cu ft
(5.90 liters to 8.01 cu m). Model MF-5-SS 4.24 cu ft (0.120 cu m) shown.
