When it comes to the mixing process, there is much to consider. A quality product relies on quality mixing, so choosing your mixing method can be the key to success or financial failure. But how do you choose? Standard mechanical mixing, which stirs the pot, so to speak, are the more traditional method of mixing, and many producers inherit this technology when they purchase a plant. Static mixing, on the other hand, looks very, very different. How can you choose?

First, understanding how a static mixer works may help you make a critical decision. As opposed to moving mechanical mixers that stir a batch of product, static mixers are stay-in-place technology that uses the force of gravity or pressure drop in the pipeline to create the mixing. There are no moving parts and they can be inserted at any place in the pipeline, including at the point where additives are injected. In many instances, manufacturers find there is a distinct advantage to going static over stirred. Why?

First, the process is more streamlined. Instead of products being run in batches and dispatched to tanks and mixed by mechanical mixers, it is instead mixed directly in the pipeline for one continuous mixing flow. Static mixers also offer a great deal of room compared to the mechanical mixing style. Mechanical mixers require tanks, which require floor space. Open tanks also mean more evaporation, unlike the closed system static mixers offer. Besides all that, static mixers offer as much as a whopping 95% energy savings over the open stirred mechanical method – that’s serious savings!

Ultimately, a static mixer performs the job more consistently and offers more cost effective savings over the life of the unit than a mechanical mixer does. It also saves space and promotes safety. What’s not to love? So the next time you choose a mixer, tell your C-suite you like yours “static, not stirred!”