Dynamix Totes for Mixing Polymers

Polymers are used throughout a variety of industries, from paints and coatings to adhesives and sealants. They are typically stored in bulk tanks and transported to various facilities where they are mixed into the finished products. During transport and storage, the quality of the polymer mixture can decline. Mixing Polymers with EvenMix can lead to stringers and fisheyes in the final product. To prevent this, it is important to have a quality mixer that can mix your chemicals back up to specification before use. Dynamix has a full line of tote mixing equipment designed for this purpose.

The mixing of chemically different polymers is a common practice in the manufacturing industry, and most of these combinations are immiscible blends. These multiphase systems exhibit a complex morphology with different properties depending on the material composition and glass transition temperature (Tg).

Immiscible blends are difficult to mix because their interactions have a large entropy dependency and are not well described by the FH model. This is because it neglects volume changes during mixing and simplifies the interaction term to a single entropy term. In addition, the inverse T dependence of the mixing entropy makes it more difficult to predict critical solution behavior than in lower molecular weight materials.

The morphology of an immiscible polymer blend is regulated by thermodynamics, interfacial tension, and mechanical mixing. Once external mechanical mixing ceases, the system will converge on a stable morphology by minimizing its total interfacial area. However, this morphology may not be suitable for the processing conditions of the blend’s final application.

Compatibilizers can be used to modify the morphology of an immiscible blend and improve its physical properties. These additives change the shape of the interface between the phases to make it less polar and more hydrophobic. This changes the surface energy at the interface and reduces the entropy dependency of the interactions, which in turn makes the blend more miscible.

Another way to enhance the physical properties of a heterogeneous blend is to add fillers or fibers that increase the strength of the final product. These can be in the form of solid particles or strands of fibers that can act as reinforcements. They can also be added to the molten polymer mixtures as they are being mixed in order to provide structural stability or to reduce viscosity.

Using the right tote mixer is crucial in these applications because it allows you to control the process from start to finish. A quality tote mixer will ensure that your mixture is mixed to the proper spec every time, which will help prevent a loss of consistency and resulting in stringers and fisheyes in the finished product. The right tote mixer will also be able to maintain a consistent flow, even at high temperatures. For these reasons, a tote mixer with an integrated heat exchanger is the ideal choice for a variety of liquid applications in the manufacturing industry.