Laboratory Mixer Blender: An Instrument to Provide Sample Homogeneity

The term homogeneity occurs in virtually all the lab reports, but in very few cases the instrument that guarantees it receives due recognition. Any tests to be conducted on a certain material are performed only after thorough mixing – and a laboratory mixer blender ensures this. This is a very simple device, but its importance in laboratory work is hard to underestimate.

The Working Principles of a Laboratory Mixer Blender

A laboratory mixer blender is a device that allows raw or partly processed materials in the form of powders, granules, liquids, or semi-solids to become homogeneous thanks to mechanical mixing. It sounds very simple, but the process of ensuring homogeneity of certain material requires very precise approach – just mixing will not do.

The Consequences of Inconsistent Mixing

The lack of homogeneity of the sample causes problems in the process of testing or manufacturing of a product in pharmaceutical laboratories. Inconsistency of mixing of the active ingredient with the excipient results in the dose variability in tablets from the same batch. Food laboratories may have problems during moisture and nutritional testing. Materials science laboratories often have to deal with misleading data about the composition of particles in poorly homogenized powder blends. A laboratory mixer blender is used to avoid such problems.

Different Mixing Actions and Their Importance

There are various mixing actions that can be done by laboratory blenders and the choice of proper one for the material in question is very important. Ribbon blenders conduct a folding action by means of rotating helical blades – they perform well when dealing with dry powders. Planetary mixers combine the actions of rotation and orbit – they are very useful when working with pastes and semi-solid formulations. Tumbler blenders rotate the entire container creating mixing action due to gravity – this type of mixing action is very suitable for fragile and shear-sensitive materials.

The Features of a Reliable Laboratory Blender

There are a number of important features, one of which is the range of speed control. Delicate formulations require slow mixing while denser powders require faster mixing. The chamber capacity should be optimal for sample volume rather than oversized chambers for small samples. The inclusion of timers and programmed mixing actions will ensure that each cycle lasts the same period of time. The ability of quick cleaning will prevent the contamination of the material.

Laboratory Mixers and Blenders Applications

In the pharmaceutical industry and quality control departments, mixers and blenders are used to formulate new drugs and analyze whether the batches of products are uniform enough. The food and nutraceutical industry utilizes mixers and blenders to prepare samples for compositional analysis beforehand. Emulsion stability testing and ingredients mixing in cosmetics and personal care products production is done with the help of mixing equipment.

Testing laboratories of construction materials use certain types of blenders to make homogeneous samples of cement, soil, and other aggregates to be analyzed further.

Selection of the Best Mixer Blender for Your Lab

While choosing a mixing equipment one should take into account the type of material to work with, the volume of material, mixing intensity and cleaning procedure. All these factors should match one another. This principle is applied by Bionics Scientific while developing its laboratory mixer blenders.

Conclusion

The work of a laboratory mixer blender may remain unnoticed among other laboratory activities. However, it is an essential part of every sample preparation procedure. Without proper mixing of the material, no test results can be reliable.