Manufacturing processes can always benefit from a thorough review.  Even if a process has been working for years, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a better, cheaper or more effective way to do it.  While many manufacturers resist looking at their processes, it is important to realize that sometimes this is used as an excuse to stop problems before they get out of hand.  If your business needs to solve any of the following problems, you might benefit from a new static mixer.

Mixing times are too long.  Traditional tank mixers take as much as three to four days to finish a batch.  If something goes wrong with the batch, then production can be set back by nearly a week or more, making a significant impact on your time to market.  A static mixer greatly reduces mixing time – sometimes as much as a matter of hours compared to days!  What else could you do with that kind of time?

Batches are large and subject to corruption.Making a run of product, whether that is machine oil or tomato sauce, is usually done in large batches.  If the mixing isn’t done properly, then the expense of additives is wasted.

Energy costs are a concern.  In a tightening market, any way to trim energy costs is usually welcome.  But sometimes energy costs are created by machines that require too much energy to the same job that a modern piece of equipment can do for sometimes 1/5 of the energy.  Energy isn’t getting any cheaper!

Cleaning is leading to downtime – or waste.  Traditional mixers heap the ingredients together in large quantities in a giant tank.  This makes the cleaning process much more difficult.  A static mixer can add the right dosage of ingredients at the right time, making the process smoother.  With no moving parts to clean, there is also less downtime due to cleaning and a more consistent and less wasteful process.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because there aren’t visible problems with your manufacturing process that you are operating at peak efficiency.  You could save yourself a lot of time to market and money by investing in a static mixer.