The Power and Versatility of the Littleford Plow Mixer

The Littleford plow mixer is designed for high-efficiency mixing, blending, and processing of a wide range of materials employing a unique "mechanically fluidized bed" technology that creates a fast, three-dimensional mixing action.

How It Works

The mixing action is achieved by a series of plow-shaped mixing elements mounted on a horizontal shaft. As the shaft rotates at high speed, the plows project and hurl material away from the vessel walls and into free space.

This intense, yet gentle action lifts, separates, and intermingles the product, creating a homogenous blend in a fraction of the time required by other methods.

Key Capabilities and Features

The design of the Littleford plow mixer provides a range of powerful capabilities that make it a versatile tool for many industries:

High-Speed, High-Shear Mixing

The main mixing action creates a fluidized bed, ensuring that all particles are thoroughly mixed. This can be supplemented with high-speed chopper blades that add a shearing action to the product. These choppers are independently driven and are essential for breaking down lumps, dispersing trace ingredients, and incorporating liquids into dry powders.

Versatile Processing

The mixer is capable of performing multiple functions within a single unit. It can be used for:

• Dry solids blending
• Liquid-solid coating
• Granulating
• Heating/cooling
• Vacuum drying (when equipped with a jacketed vessel and vacuum system)

Handles a Wide Variety of Materials

The Littleford plow mixer is designed to handle a broad spectrum of materials, from fine powders and granules to thick pastes and slurries. It is particularly effective with materials that have widely varying densities or particle sizes, as the fluidized bed action prevents separation and settling.

Superior Heat Transfer

The intense mixing action constantly exposes a large surface area of the product to the vessel walls. This, combined with a jacketed trough, results in highly efficient heat transfer, allowing for precise temperature control during processes like drying or reactions.

Plow Mixer vs. Ribbon Blender

A ribbon blender uses helical ribbons to move material slowly, which can be less effective with materials of different densities or when incorporating liquids. A plow mixer's high-speed, three-dimensional mixing is much faster and creates a more homogeneous blend, especially for difficult-to-mix materials.

The Role of Chopper Blades

The chopper blades provide an additional high-shear action. They are used to:

• Break apart agglomerates
• Reduce particle size
• Quickly incorporate liquids into the mix

This is especially useful for creating granules or for applications requiring a smooth, lump-free final product.