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In addition to the rotating pan, all high shear mixers manufactured by Lancaster Products larger than a K3.5 have two independently motor driven mixing tools inside the pan which are responsible for proper mixing, pelletizing, and granulating of materials: the plow and the high speed rotor.  The plow continually sweeps the entire surface of the pan bottom to prevent material from accumulating on the bottom and enhances the overall mixing action.  However, the most important tool of all is the high-speed rotor, which rotates counter direction to the pan causing a shearing action inside of the mixing cavity.  This high-speed rotor not only agitates the mixture, but significantly influences the control of the entire process.  While there are just two main style of standard rotors, we can custom configure the rotor to optimize all mixing processes.

Star Rotors are composed of a shaft with blades attached in a staggered configuration.  It is considered an all-purpose tool because it can both mix or pelletize materials.  This style of rotor is excellent for blending, chopping, milling, and homogenizing of materials. The star rotor is also an excellent all-around granulation tool.    Blades can be bolted on for quicker change-outs or welded on per client specifications.   The number and size of blades vary based on the size of the mixer and specifications of the mix.  Hardfacing is often applied to the blades to reduce wear and extend the blade life.   The angle and position of the blades effects the material flow within the mix and affords an almost limitless number of configurations allowing us to optimize the mixer to satisfy processing requirements.

 

Pin Rotors are comprised of a shaft with a disc shaped mixing ‘head’ attached to the tip and rugged metal pins arranged around the circumference in a vertical orientation.  These rotors are ideal for pelletization processes due to the rotor shape which is specialized for processing extremely round, dense, spherical pellets.

 

 

 

Some projects specify additional customization based on the materials being processed such as special coatings or hard facing the blades for extremely abrasive materials.  Additionally, rotors are considered a ‘wear part’ and need periodic inspection to determine wear life.  For star rotors with bolt-on replaceable blades or pin rotors with screw in pins, replacing worn blades or pins is a quick change.  For customers that have a star rotor with welded on blades, it is recommended to have a backup rotor on hand to avoid down time while the worn rotor is being fixed.

Contact us today to discuss your high shear mixer rotor requirements and we’ll work with you to provide the correct mixing tool to optimize your mixing or pelleting results.

717-273-2111