Sigma Mixer

Double Arm Kneader Mixers All double arm kneader mixers are equipped with two mixing blades placed in a W-shaped horizontal trough. Various blade profiles have evolved, each of which is best suited for a particular type of application. The commonly used blade types are the sigma blade, masticator blade, shredder blade, naben (aka fishtail) blade, and spiral blade. The rotation of the blades is either tangential to each other or the blades may overlap within the trough. The blades rotate toward each other at the same or differential speeds. The blades pass the container walls and each other at close clearances (2-3 mm) resulting in homogenous mixing. The close clearances produce very high shearing action thereby reducing any large particles. These mixers produce a consistent particle size distribution without the need for additional high speed choppers. Homogenous mixing is achieved within 10 to 30 minutes. Mixing homogeneity upto 99% and better can be achieved using the double arm kneader mixers. These mixers and their variants (double arm kneader mixer extruders) are capable of handling material with viscosities as high as 10 million centipoises. The power consumption in double arm kneader mixer is very high compared to other types of mixers and can range from 45 to 75 kW/m3 of mix material. The sigma blade mixer is the most commonly used type of double arm kneader mixer, and is best suited for all round use.

Sigma Blade Mixer

In mixers handling very viscous materials, it is necessary to promote both lateral and transverse motion of the material. The geometry and profile of the sigma blade is designed such that the viscous mass of material is pulled, sheared, compressed, kneaded, and folded by the action of the blades against the walls of the mixer trough. The extent to which this happens depends on the action of the blades - tangential or overlapping and the ratio of the speed of rotation of the blades.The helix angle of the blade can be modified depending on the required shearing.