Extrusion Melt Blender Static Mixer (Type SMB)

Figure #1) StaMixCo manufactures all three commercially proven static mixer designs used for extrusion service
Figure #1
StaMixCo manufacturers all three commercially proven static mixer designs used for high viscous melt flow mixing of polymers and foods in extrusion service.  As with most process equipment, each static mixer design has specific advantages and disadvantages that make it more or less suitable for a specific application and installation. Each type of motionless mixer is discussed below:
 
Process Improvements:
  • Temperature gradients are virtually eliminated.
  • Viscosity gradients are virtually eliminated.
  • Composition gradients of colorant, chemical additives, fillers and regrind are virtually eliminated.
  • Stagnant polymer wall-creep material is incorporated into the bulk polymer stream.
 
Extrusion Applications
Static Mixers are used in most extrusion applications including the following:
  • Sheet
  • Blown Film
  • Foam sheet 
  • Profile extrusion
  • Co-extrusion 
  • Pipe
  • Extrusion Blow Molding
  • Rod & Tubing
  • Wire & Cable
  • Coatings
  • Cereals and other foods
  • Fiber extrusion & monofilaments
Benefits
  • Reduction of color additives with comparable extrudate color density.
  • Even thickness across the entire extrudate width.
  • Streak-free product.
  • Improved quality when using regrind material.
  • Foam cell size and cell distribution uniformity.
  • Improved surface quality
  • Improved mechanical characteristics.
  • Rapid color change-over

SMB-R Static Mixer

Figure #2) SMB-R Extruder mixing elements
Figure #2
The SMB-R static mixer for extrusion service (licensee of Bayer AG, Leverkusen, Germany) contains eight (8) very efficient motionless mixing elements that homogenize the polymer melt as it enters the extruder die.

The SMB-R mixing elements are considered a high performance design where they create a very high degree of mixing in a short length.

The SMB-R mixing elements are virtually indestructible due to their monolithic cast construction where the mixing bars are jointed to each other and to the ring wall via a single molten metal pour.

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SMB-GX Static Mixer

Figure #3) SMB-GX Extrusion Static Mixer
Figure #3
The SMB-GX motionless mixer is a design that has been used in melt flow mixing extrusion service for over 25 years. 

The SMB-GX mixing elements are considered a high performance design where they create homogeneous mix in a short length.  It has the same fundamental X-Grid crossing-bar structure as the StaMixCo SMB-R static mixer (Figure #2), but without the support ring around the mixing blade structure which gives the SMB-R its remarkable strength. 

Since the SMB-GX it is manufactured from metal plates that are welded together, virtually any custom static mixer plate thickness, material and diameter can be fabricated to meet process and installation requirements.

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SMB-H Static Mixer

Figure #4) SMB-H Extrusion Static Mixer
Figure #4
The SMB-H Helical static mixer design pioneered the static mixing industry and has been used as a viscous static mixer on extruders for over 37 years.

The Helical design is considered a low mixing performance-long length-low pressure drop motionless mixer as compared to the later developments of high performance static mixers such as the SMB-R (Figure #2) and SMB-GX (Figures #3) which have become the technology standards in the industry.

StaMixCo manufactures SMB-H static mixers in the traditional method of twisting a strip of metal and welding together as well and an advanced proprietary manufacturing technique where the entire unit it is machined from a solid rod of bar stock material without welding.  This machining process allows for custom static mixer fabrication in virtually any L/D twist, in very small sizes, with very high strength, straight and true dimensioning and with a RMS 12 mirror polish surface finish which is a much improved surface finish as compared to the traditional 32 RMS finish for the twisted and welded design.

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