How Can Anyone Benefit From Using Industrial Mixing Equipment?

A high shear mixer is used to create an even liquid solution from two or more ingredients that would otherwise be difficult to mix. These mixers have application in many industries where homogenization and particle size and distribution are important, including pharmaceuticals, paper, and cosmetics. In order to understand how a high shear mixer works, you must first understand the physical principle of shearing.

A shear effect is created in a fluid when one area of the fluid travels with a slightly different velocity to that of an adjacent area. This principle can be seen at work in a can of whipped cream. When the nozzle is squeezed, part of the foam is forced to slide or “shear” past the rest, creating two different velocities. In this way, the whipped cream is able to flow like water before becoming rigid again once it reaches its destination of a bowl or a spoon.

A large variety of substances experience this shear effect, including everyday items like ketchup and motor oil. Shearing often affects how the substance is used.

A high shear mixer, then, uses this principle to create this effect in the liquid solution. It creates two different velocities within the solution by using a rotating impeller or a high-speed rotor in order to disperse elements evenly throughout the solution. Some factors that influence how high shear mixers work is the diameter of the rotor and the speed with which it rotates. Sometimes a stationary component known as a stator is used in combination with the impeller to create an extremely high shear zone. Other industrial mixing equipment may be needed to achieve the desired results.

High shear mixers are used in a variety of applications where it is necessary to mix two ingredients together that do not mix naturally. An easy example of this is food preparation, such as salad dressing emulsions. In industry, these mixers are often used for manufacturing toiletries or for preparations of suspensions.