We see on the net some manufacturers can easily market any z-blade mixer as a chewing gum or even gum base mixer. It is correct that they seem similar but they all have different calculations and properties. If you choose wrong machine you can end up seeing break downs only in couple of months.
Besides preventing long shut downs, you can decrease your process time up to %50 with correct machine and mixing procedure.
Durability
Gum base mixing process starts with plastification of rubber and continues with additive of hard raw materials. Very high viscous raw material has to be mixed until you start to add softeners. The calculations of the mixer (shafts, bearings, gears, motor etc.) has to be done according to this first stage.
Blade design
The blades curve and angle has to be designed for catching the product and break into pieces. At the video above you are going to see how the blades catch the rubber (first cleaning operation of the machine therefore the rubber is dirty) and demolish it.
Blade and mixing tank ratio
Blades height compared to the total mixing tanks has to be calculated for most efficient mixing. Some manufacturers increase the tanks height and use smaller blades to reduce the costs. But this causes to slow down the process at the final stages. The last additives mixes very slow because the blades cannot create enough turbulence at the mixture to pull it down. Therefore the blades has to be high enough to create turbulence at the mixture even at the final stage.
Heating
Gum base mixing is done at 100-150 °C. All the tank has to be heated homogeneously. If the capacity is equal or bigger than a ton, this time only tank heating might not be enough. For efficient and fast production you may need heated blades.
These are only some of the properties that you need to check before sourcing a gum base or even a chewing gum mixer. We use our +40 years production experience to design correct mixer.
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