What's Better, A Ribbon Or A Paddle? Let's Compare.

By Doug Grunder
President, Marion Mixers, Inc.

Ribbon Agitator

• Good when blending materials of like size, shape and density such as powders or granular ingredients.
• Lateral scrubbing action of inner ribbon against the outer ribbon produces heat. This can be useful when coating ingredients.
• Choppers can be added when incorporating liquids or pastes and to disperse minor ingredients.
• Ribbon agitators are most commonly used in the food industry where bulk products are repeatedly blended.

Paddle Agitator

• Good when blending materials of dissimilar size, shape and density.
• Paddles scoop ingredients from the bottom of the trough and lift them into the product stream.
• Low shear mixing is useful when blending friable or oversized ingredients.
• Choppers are often used in conjunction with paddle agitators to reduce product size, incorporate colorants or other minor ingredients.
• Sanitary paddle agitators are the easiest to clean and sanitize.
• Paddle agitators are fitted with tighter clearances with the trough than ribbons to allow more efficient clean-out at the end of each batch.
• Paddle agitators are efficient with batch sizes down to 20% of the rated capacity of the blender.
• Bolted paddle agitators are frequently used in abrasive or corrosive applications where maintenance is a concern.
• Bolted style paddle agitators can be modified in the field to increase or decrease agitation points to accommodate changes in the customer's products.
• Paddle style agitators can be used in both batch and continuous style mixers.

Hybrid Agitators

• Combine the benefits of both the ribbon and the paddle agitator designs.
• Inner ribbon flighting moves product towards the end-plates, thus leveling the product load.
• Outer paddles provide tight clearances for efficient mixing and thorough clean-out.
• Choppers can be added with hybrid agitators to provide controlled amounts of mixing energy.

SOURCE: Marion Mixers