Sustainability benefits
- Lower energy usage due to reduced mixer runtime
- Less wasted product and fewer rework cycles
- More efficient use of thickening polymers
Previously unsuccessful methods
The manufacturer had been mixing Carbopol in a batch tank equipped with a top-entry agitator and high-shear blade. While the slow agitator circulated the liquid, the mixer never fully dispersed the Carbopol on first pass.
Mixing in a batch tank with a top-entry agitator led to:
- Clumping and undispersed particles in the gel
- Frequent need to add extra powder mid-process
- Batches requiring up to three additional hours of mixing
- Inconsistent gel viscosity and texture
- Increased labor and energy usage in extended runs
The process was inefficient and unpredictable, prompting the search for a more reliable inline powder-into-liquid mixing solution.
Fristam’s solution
A Fristam Powder Mixer with optional vibrator was installed adjacent to the mixing tank. The Powder Mixer combined:
- FZX self-priming liquid ring pump to induce powder into the liquid stream
- FS high-shear inline blender that forces the premix through rotor-stator shear zones to achieve full dispersion
Trial set-up
1. The Powder Mixer was positioned at floor level beside the mixing tank.
2. Water was drawn into the system by the FZX Liquid Ring Pump and 40 kg of Carbopol was added directly into the tabletop hopper on the Powder Mixer.
3. The FZX pump pulled powder into the liquid – wetting it instantly.
4. This wetted pre-mix was then transferred to the FS blender, which applied high-shear rotor-stator mechanical forces to disperse the Carbopol and create a fully homogenous mix.
5. The gel then exited the Powder Mixer fully hydrated and ready for downstream processing.
6. Cleaning was completed using a CIP cycle following each production cycle.
A successful outcome with the Fristam Powder Mixer
The Powder Mixer transformed the customer’s gel mixing process:
- Carbopol was fully dispersed on the first pass
- Blend time reduced from as long as 3 hours to as little as 15 minutes per batch
- With 3–5 batches per day, time savings totalled more than 2,000 process hours annually
- Raw material waste was minimised
- Gel consistency and texture became predictable and repeatable
Manufacturers of shampoos, conditioners, lotions, gel sanitizers, and medical gels also benefit from similar performance improvements with Fristam Powder Mixer technology.
Financial benefits
- Over 2,000 hours of annual process time saved
- Faster batch cycles leading to higher throughput
- Reduced labor and operating costs from shorter mixing and cleanup
Other benefits
- Floor-level ergonomic operation with waist-height powder induction
- First-pass mixing reduces clogging and operator intervention
- Reduced cleanup and sanitisation time with CIPable design