Drum Agitator

Drum Agitator

The need for different types and styles of mixing in a drum can be found throughout the chemical, paint and coating industry. For these applications, a drum agitator is able to mix solid materials or liquids together inside of a metal container.

Since there are many ways to agitate fluids in a drum, it is important to get familiar with the different methods that can be used and the different types of drum agitators that exist.

What is a Drum Agitator?

- A machine used to blend or mix chemicals together in a container (usually metal) called a drum.

How to Choose a Drum Agitator: 3 Methods for Mixing in Drums Supplying the right method to mix chemicals in a drum is important because it can affect efficiency, safety and production.

Drum Mixer Types

- Spiral mixer: uses a helix spiral blade wrapped around the inside of the drum, slow slow mixing action but easy to clean.

- End cap agitators: create a torque movement on the drum for thorough mixing.

- Direct drive agitators: are attached to the drum's shaft to directly mix the chemical inside the drum.

Other Things to Consider Before Purchasing a Drum Agitator

- Power requirement for optimum performance

- Total height of equipment

- Volume capacity of container being used

Bung mixing in drums is a method to mix materials inside a drum, as well. However, they are not very effective, run at high speeds, and cause temperature issues. These mixers run at high speeds and quite often run a high shear rate due to high speed. Typically they have a tiny and ineffective blade on them that turns the material.

Even if one replaces the bung mixer with an agitator, the material will still rotate at a high speed. This means that it is still essential to slow down the mixing process by using weight loads and chills.

What are other ways to mix in drums?

- Multi cone Agitators use multiple cones stacked on top of each other. The multi cone agitator works by rotating the container and having a spiral-shaped mixing screw rotate inside of a few cones to blend chemicals together.

- End Cap Agitators use a mixing screw that allows the chemicals being mixed to move from the center of the barrel outwards.

- Side Press Agitator is used in cylindrical drums and has a side press fitting instead of a bung, this allows for a positive seal and easily attached with a mixer shaft.

- Pallet Agitator works similarly to an end cap agitator but has paddles instead of a mixing screw. The positive seal is needed for drum bungs to prevent leakage.

- Direct drive agitators have the shaft that attaches the mixer directly attached to the drum's rotating axis, which can be helpful in reducing the amount of vibration there is in the system.

- Vibratory Drum Mixer can be used for mixing paint or other liquid chemicals together, rather than dry materials. This type of drum mixer uses a rotating agitator, an eccentric weight and a coupling device to reduce any vibration transferring to the drum.