Difference Between Planetary Mixers & High Shear Mixers

A planetary mixer is one of the most popular tools in the food industry besides which it also has several applications in other industries like the pharmaceutical industry, construction industry, etc. It is useful for the purpose of intense mixing, dispersing, kneading. It is also very useful for deserting products like adhesives, sealants, light caulks, pastes, granulation, coatings, etc. In fact, it is useful for many products with medium to high viscosity.

A high shear mixer disperses, or transports, one phase or ingredient like liquid, solid, gas. This would normally be immiscible. It consists of a rotor and impeller along with a stationary component which is known as a stator, an array of rotors. This is useful in a tank containing a solution for the purpose of mixing. It is more popular in the cosmetic industry and chemical industry.

Planetary Mixer

This type of mixer is available in various sizes and has an option of a self-aligning bowl, scrapers, manual lifts, hydraulic lifts. This type of heavy duty construction allows the production of newer and tougher compounds. There are several advantages of using a planetary mixer, it allows the opium homogenization of mixing material. It has low wear and requires minimal amount of maintenance. This type of mixer has a minimal waste and has mixing stars that rotate on different axes. It is very efficient and has an ability to completely recirculate the material with only one revolution.

High Shear Mixers

It is useful for either a tank containing a solution to be mixed. It is also used for a pipe through which the solution passes and for the purpose of creating shear. The high shear mixer is useful for the purpose of creating emulsions, suspensions, lyosols and granular products. This type of mixer is useful for the purpose of adhesives, cosmetics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals. It is also useful in the plastic industry for the purpose of emulsification, homogenization, dispersion.

The main features of the high shear machine include diameter of the rotor and speed of rotation distance between the rotor and the stator and time in a mixer. There can be a  varying number of rows of teeth and their angle can differ too. The main applications of this machine include that in the chemical process industry, pharmaceutical industry, cosmetic and toiletries industry as well.

Applications of a Planetary Mixer

There are many applications of a planetary mixer like in the bakery. This is the bakery planetary mixer. Since this is especially for use in a bakery it is also known as a cake mixer, cream mixer and dough mixer.

The way this machine works is that it allows a unique motion around its axis and throughout the circumference of the utensil. This utensil can consist of the dough and other baking ingredients. Since the movement resembles movement of a planet it is known as a planetary mixer. This type of machine has several applications and is hence found in several small bakeries and patisseries.

With this type of machine, there is the flexibility of changing the utensils and use it for different applications. For example, it can be used for a dough hook, whisk, mixing paddle, etc.

There are many advantages of using this type of machine in a bakery since it makes it the process of mixing more accurate. The taste of a product depends a great deal on the quality of mixing. Thus, the better the fluff and correct usage of raw material, the better the taste.

This type of machine makes less noise and produces low vibrations too. Besides which it also a low energy consumption and hence is more economical as well. It allows multiple speed variations and has several safety options. Chances of accidents or injuries to an operator are minimal. It is easy to maintain hence hygienic and thus meets food safety standards. In addition to this, a machine like this is compact and optimal for small bakeries, durable and robust.