Mixing is a necessary step in many industrial processes, but the type of mixing required depends on the materials you’re working with and the desired end product. Here are three types of industrial mixers.

1. Ribbon Mixers

A ribbon mixer has a wide range of usability, meaning it can be used to mix many kinds of different materials. from solids to particulates and liquids. They’re most commonly applied in the mixing of dry solids, such as pharmaceutical and nutritional powders, fertilizers and potting soils and plastic resin, but they can also be used to mix materials such as paint and various chemicals.

2. Vibrational Mixers

When you use a vibrational mixer, you’re likely employing it to create fine-grain powders. These mixers are most useful for this purpose due to how they facilitate the mixing process. They employ the use of energy waves, usually sound waves or ultrasonic waves, to create vibrations that break up and blend your ingredients. You may also use vibrational blenders to mix liquids, pastes and combinations of these with powders.

3. Paddle Mixers

Paddle mixers are generally good for mixing large solids and blending liquids, though they’re also used to break up dry chunks of material into smaller pieces and powders. People employ paddle mixers when they want to ensure that a physical mixing process is as gentle as possible. Paddle mixers are ideal for gentle mixing because their mixing blades are paddle-shaped. They’re round and relatively thick with blunt, rounded edges. If you’re working with food material, paddle blenders are useful because they’re less likely to bruise any of the ingredients. They can also be paired with heating and cooling attachments to adjust the temperature of whatever they’re mixing.

The type of mixing you need to do will inform what blender you use. Some blenders are more useful for mixing solids. Others may be better suited for mixing liquids and gases.