By Ross

Ross manufactures a range of turnkey mixing and discharge stations for batching paste-like materials and high-viscosity formulations. The company’s Multi-Shaft Mixers, Planetary Dispersers and Double Planetary Mixers are all offered with an optional platen-style Discharge System designed for non-flowable, sticky or heavy mixtures. With push-button simplicity, the system automatically discharges a batch by lowering a precisely-machined platen into the vessel. An O-ring around the platen rides against the vessel sidewalls virtually wiping the surfaces clean. Product is pushed out through the bottom of the vessel or through a port on the platen.

Shown is a 2-gallon PowerMix Planetary Disperser (US Patent No. 4,697,929) and Discharge System mounted on a stainless steel workbench. The PowerMix features a saw-tooth disperser blade and a planetary stirrer which both revolve around the vessel while turning on their own axes of rotation at independently-controlled speeds. This agitator combination is ideal for handling viscous dispersions up to around 2 million cP. After the mixing cycle, the vessel is simply rolled over to the Discharge System. As the platen is lowered hydraulically into the vessel, finished product is forced out within seconds. Various size and style adaptors allow the operator to fill syringes and cartridges straight from the mix vessel. Yield is extremely maximized as normally only a thin layer of product remains on the vessel bottom.