When assessing a given manufacturing line, companies need to identify the weakest links. Often, a major bottleneck involves the materials mixing or blending step. For this reason, many companies take a closer look at the mixing process to identify ways to reduce costs, increase production capacity, and become more flexible. Businesses that get the mixing step right often boost the overall efficiency of their entire manufacturing line.
Companies face many choices when it comes to industrial mixers and blending techniques. Given that wide array of choices, selecting the best mixer can be a daunting task. Options range from agitators to paddle and ribbon mixers as well as batch and continuous processes – the choices often seem endless. To navigate this wide spectrum, companies have to focus on selecting a mixer that delivers scalability, speed, and flexibility. These three factors are vital to manufacturing success across every industry, and are integral to differentiate the ResonantAcoustic® Mixing (RAM) method from other mixing alternatives.
Acoustic mixing uses sound energy to generate unique material movement and sound-induced interaction that results in optimal mixing. RAM mixers generate and control vertical motion to achieve vibration and movement within a mixing vessel. The optimal operating conditions, or the resonant state of any RAM mixer, is proven to achieve optimal mixing of ingredients while consuming the least amount of power resulting in a highly efficient and effective mixing process. This paper explores scalability, speed, and flexibility in more detail, and explains why RAM technology increases production capabilities while delivering superior value in each of these areas.
Scalability
Scalability is often overlooked as a point of value in industrial mixing, yet it provides immense benefit. Mixing technologies are often hampered by the need for several iterations of additional formulation and testing, prior to scaling from small, laboratory bench quantities to high volume production. RAM mixers overcome that limitation because of the technology’s unique and inherent scalability. RAM technology enables direct scaling from bench to production levels with minimal or no adjustments in process, parameters, or timing. Since RAM mixing does not use internal engineered mixing devices, consistent mixing instantaneously, continuously, and throughout every area in the mixing vessel.
Companies that use RAM technology often work with the Resodyn team to optimize their mix recipes on a small scale – quantities often less than 1,000 grams. A given recipe is then directly scaled to the desired manufacturing volume with no retesting or reformulating necessary. As the company grows and demand increases over time, the ability of RAM mixers to easily and directly scale recipes saves significant time and money – and most of the scaling headaches associated with traditional mix approaches.
Speed
Speed is typically what many customers look for when selecting a mixer. When it comes to manufacturing, time directly correlates to production efficiency and the bottom line. RAM mixers dramatically reduce mix times of traditional mixing methods, in many cases from several hours to a few minutes. RAM technology is not only highly effective at reducing mix times; its productivity improvements and benefits often extend well beyond the mixing step and into downstream operations. Additionally, the speed of RAM mixers eliminates common bottlenecks that exist in the mixing step with traditional mixers, providing companies valuable flexibility to expand production capacity.
Versatility
Companies and organizations are continually being asked to do more with less. Their customers, in turn, are increasingly asking for more variety, driving demand for more diverse ingredients and recipes manufacturers have to manage. To accommodate these demand dynamics, cleanliness and easier transitions between batches or recipes have become critical in order to maintain high production efficiency. Furthermore, manufacturers must have agile process lines that quickly react and adapt to changing market conditions. For these reasons, flexibility and efficiency in the mixing step is vital.
Eliminating the need for specialized machines with specialized attachments, RAM delivers value with near-instant versatility, effectively blending virtually any combination of powders, liquids, highly viscous or solids-loaded materials. This technique offers significant flexibility in the size and design of the vessel used for mixing at the smaller, developmental scale, and makes precision mixing possible for a practically universal range of applications.
Resodyn Acoustic Mixers
Resodyn industrial mixing and processing products are designed and built in the USA. The company’s products are currently used in more than 30 countries around the globe. Its mixers feature universal processing technology to achieve nearly any type of industrial mixing. RAM delivers flexible, reliable, and repeatable performance across the full range of industrial applications, and from bench-scale development through continuous production. Resodyn believes in innovation and growth and is continuously adding new offerings to the suite of products. For more information on recent and upcoming products, visit resodynmixers.com and review the “Get Started with Resodyn Services” section.
Resodyn works closely with its customers to mix virtually every combination of ingredients, including liquids, pastes, powders from nano size and larger as well as highly viscous materials. Resodyn products provide advanced solutions for a broad range of industrial mixing and processing challenges in various sectors such as pharmaceuticals, electronics, energetics, batteries, advanced and nano-materials, and ceramics.
Resodyn is the only company in the world to offer RAM technology. Change the way you think about mixing and processing with a RAM demonstration: on-site at your facility, using your own materials, and solving your mixing challenges. Contact us today to learn more about how RAM can add speed, versatility, and scalability to your mixing process or to schedule a free demo! Click here to learn more about our RAM mixer rental program.
