Choosing the Right Mixing Tank

Mixing is a huge part of many different industrial applications. Large scale mixing tanks create the ability to mix products in large batches and in shorter periods of time for industries ranging from food products to metal alloys and cement mixtures.

The most popular type of mixing tank is made of stainless steel and used in mixing food-related products and those that require a high level of sanitation and bacterial-resistance. Stainless steel metal keeps the inside of the tanks clean, prevents materials from sticking to the walls of the container, is resistant to heat and is extremely durable. For these reason and many others, more companies choose stainless steel mixing tanks than many other kinds of tanks.

Tank design is dependent of the use. Mixing tank manufacturers can create tanks to whatever specification the purchaser desires and can recommend different styles based on their needs, although many mixing tank designs are variations on four main designs. These designs include:

Open Top Mixers: Open top mixers are ideal for mixing ingredients that do not need extremely sanitary conditions. The open top design makes it easy to add new materials when necessary while the machine is mixing. Many general industrial mixing procedures occur in open top mixers.

Sealed or Pressurized Tanks: Sealed and pressurized tanks are ideal for mixing materials that require a high level of sanitation, such as in food preparation. Pressurized tanks can agitate materials together under high pressure, fusing different material molecules into one seamless mixture.

High Viscosity Tanks: High viscosity tanks are designed to mix viscous liquids, such as oil and other viscous liquids. These tanks use special agitators to mix the different materials together.

IBC Totes: IBC totes have a square shape rather than a rounded shape like many mixers. The totes are designed to store and blend liquids together in a sealed environment and are often used for delicate materials and food or beverage production.

It’s Milk Not Cream.

Not so many years ago, milk was derived from a family cow or local farm. Today, you can go to any grocery or convenience store and pick up a gallon in multiple varieties. From the farm to the store, there are many different steps taken in producing homogenized milk. At the farm, the milk is collected from a plethora of cows and amassed inside giant tanks.

Not every cow’s milk produces the same milk quality, where one area in the container may have a higher fat content and another very little. To accomplish a smooth and even mixture, homogenizers are used to blend those milk ingredients together. Imagine picking up two gallons of milk where one has a thick consistency and the other almost like water. These industrial mixers are used in the giant milk containers and can ensure that everyone is consuming the same mixture of milk, also making it easier to correctly label the milk ingredients on the containers.

Like most food industry mixers, milk homogenizers are made of stainless steel. A typical makeup of a homogenizer consists of a holding tank, a motor and an array of rotating impellers. Like the job of an emulsifier, homogenizer mixers break up globules of fat in the milk with a device that pushes the substance through tiny holes with high pressure, forcing the liquid to fully mix. If homogenization was not part of the process, the separation of liquid from fats would cause the formation of cream.