The Thinky ARE-500 mixer from Intertronics is a high performance industrial non-contact 'planetary' mixer that is suitable for all engineering compounds. It mixes, disperses and degasses liquids, pastes and powders in seconds to minutes, in a sealed or lid-less container such as a jar, beaker, syringe tube or cartridge. By using a non-contact mixing principle it is possible to formulate compounds from very small amounts, such as 0.5ml, to large production scales up to 1.1kg, while mixing and removing bubbles simultaneously.
The ARE-500 can be used for the mixing and/or bubble removal of epoxies, silicones, conductive pastes, medicines, laboratory or production chemicals, and many other fragile or complex materials. Typical mixing times are from a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on material viscosities and complexities.
It stores five sets of mixing and degassing conditions (time and speed per mode) in a single batch cycle which consolidates otherwise time consuming formulation into a single step. Precise control of the mixing/dispersion process makes it possible not only to deliver improved and consistent formulation quality, but also to eliminate human errors and the need to rely on special operator skills.
Shear forces are minimal so as not to damage delicate materials, while cooled or heated materials can be processed using special adapters. Standard containers range from 650ml jars to small syringes.
Thinky mixing and degassing has been found valuable for high viscosities, for materials with highly different densities, or for mixing dry particles into liquids. The simultaneous process of dispersion and degassing in one batch gives major time savings. It can remove voids and re-disperse filled materials in pre-packed syringes prior to use. The non-invasive processing eliminates any risk of cross contamination between batches. The ability to process quantities as small as 0.5ml saves wastage of valuable materials, while re-mixing of separated materials can prolong shelf life and save stock costs.