Lödige Ploughshare® Mixer for batch operation: a well-established all-rounder
Ploughshare® Mixer systems have proven themselves in the chemical industry. For many decades these machines have been successfully employed for mixing, granulating and drying high-quality chemical products.
Advantages
The advantages of a horizontal Ploughshare® Mixer lie in the short mixing time – usually between two and three minutes – with the highest mixing precision in the 1:100,000 range and higher for many products. This is enabled by a fluid bed created by the mixing elements and thus mechanically generated. By using a constant Froude number, which is an indicator of product movement in the machine, test results or validated processes can be reliably transferred from one mixer size to another. By virtue of its horizontal design, the Ploughshare® Mixer requires significantly less drive power and a reduced construction height compared to conventional, vertical high-shear mixers.
Besides usage as a mixing system, the Ploughshare® Mixer can also be employed for granulation processes. A granulation agent can be introduced to the fluid bed by a number of different methods. The interaction of product particles, mixing elements and mixing drum, together with the resulting shear forces, causes granules to form. The results achieved are absolutely comparable with those of vertical high-shear mixers. The desired granule size can be set with the aid of one or more rapidly rotating choppers which break up any lumps. Optional discharge through an integral sieve mill for final size calibration of the moist granules completes the process engineering possibilities of this system.
Classic applications for a Ploughshare® Mixer are:
- Manufacture of battery masses: In the production of lithium batteries, extremely high demands are placed on the preparation of the required raw materials. Lödige has addressed this challenging process-technical task with a special version of the proven Ploughshare® Mixer. The mixer drum has a ceramic lining. The mixing elements, together with the mixer shaft and choppers, are provided with a thin but extremely hard ceramic coating.
- Dry mixes of brake and friction materials: Lödige mixing systems equipped with specifically designed mixing tools and choppers ensure the required mix homogeneity and dispersion of fibres. The mixing tools convey the product to the high-speed choppers. The star-shaped chopper blades specially designed for fibrous products pull the fibres apart, ensuring thorough dispersion. The interaction of mixing tools, choppers and speed is decisive for this operation.
- Production of animal feed and fertilizers: The production process of monocalcium phosphate (MCP) is run in three steps: mixing, reaction and granulation. With Lödige’s Ploughshare® Mixer all three production steps are performed in a single machine. No further equipment or process steps are required. The mixer ensures high availability and minimises the cleaning frequency. The mixing elements and arms have a special wear-resistant protection against any mechanical or corrosive effects of the product.