More On Ribbon Blenders

No, these aren’t blenders that are comprised of ribbons used to tie a girl’s hair up. Yes, these are a form of blenders that are frequently used in various industrial settings. Like the majority other blenders or mixers, the ribbon blender got its name from the blade used to mix materials on its interior. Oftentimes referred to as ribbon mixers, these blenders have a ribbon agitator that has a set of inner and outer blades. Both sets of blades work in tandem to rotate the materials inside of the mixer. But while the outer blade moves materials toward the center of the trough of the ribbon blender, the inner blade moves materials toward the outside of the trough. Seems pretty straightforward, right?

There are two sets of blades in this type of mixer, and they wind around the entirety of the trough. Typically done in a double helix design, the blades resemble ribbons. Some even say they look like human DNA. Because of this distinct design, a ribbon blender has the ability to thoroughly mix components and materials much more so than other blenders can. So what exactly are these blenders used to mix? For starters, a sound recommendation is that ribbon blenders aren’t used for products that are sticky. This includes any two-part adhesives as they could get stuck inside the trough and can end up getting stuck on the double blades. But, with two blades working together, this type of blender is sound for mixtures that are very fine such as fine gravel or powders. Ribbon blenders may not be used to make ribbon candy, but sometimes they are used in commercial bakeries to create delectable treats such as cakes, pastries and breads.

As this blender is used in a wide variety of applications, there are different versions of it available, depending on what is being mixed. For animal feed, farmers might use a vertical ribbon blender as this version of the blender can have materials moved from top to bottom and back again because of a vertical screw that can be included in the design. The more common design is the horizontal ribbon blender, which has a U-shaped trough. Horizontal ribbon mixers tend to be a popular choice for materials that are compatible with them, as they have short cycle times.

Mixing is our name and it’s our game. Different industries, such as the food industry and the pharmaceutical industry, require blenders and mixers to manufacture many products people use in their daily lives. With updates here on our monthly blog, we’ll be giving you more information about various blenders and what makes them tick — we mean “rotate” — here regularly.