• Fumed silica
• Inks and laquers
• Carbon black
• Titaniumdioxide
• Clays
• Pesticides and herbacides
• Detergents
• Resins
• Pigments and dyes
• Catalytic agents
• Waxes and polishes
• Sulfur
• Edible oils

Fumed silica is a very light, dusting powder used in a wide range of products from cosmetics to agro-chemicals. Fumed silica, also referred to as Aerosil® (Aerosil® is a registered trademark of Degussa) or Cabosil® (Cabosil® is a registered trademark of Cabot Corp.), is often used as a filler, stabilizer, or viscosity control agent. The main challenges to processing fumed silica are to wet it out and achieve full viscosity. IKA® Works has extensive experience processing fumed silica and a number of solutions to meet any manufacturer’s needs.

1. Dusting eliminated. IKA® offers several designs to incorporate fumed silica directly into the liquid. The powder can be vacuumed directly from a bag, conveyed from a super-sac, or we can work with your engineers to devise a system tailored to your individual process.
2. Improved vessel cleanliness. Utilizing an IKA® Works inline powder liquid mixing system will eliminate scum lines on vessel walls, improving cleanliness and eliminating wasted raw materials.
3. Complete ingredient functionality. Many companies claim to wet out fumed silica, but often, substantial shear is required to achieve full activation and viscosity. Only IKA® Works offers mixers capable of dispersing fumed silica and incorporating this level of shear.
   

Inks and lacquers cover a broad range of products used for marking or coating an object. The ink or lacquer can be either water or solvent based, with addition of pigments and / or resins. Utilizing traditional methods, it often takes a substantial period of time to dissolve any resins, solids may settle out, and pigment agglomerates may form. Utilizing an IKA® Works Mixer allows manufacturers to produce a higher quality product more quickly.

1. Decreased process time. The high shear imparted on the product by an IKA® Mixer ensures that resin particles are constantly being broken down, exposing fresh surface area to the solvent, and speeding the dissolving process.
2. Reduced settling. The intense mixing action of an IKA® Works high shear mixer provides intimate contact between liquid and solids, impeding settling.
3. Improved product quality. Depending on the level of pigment grind required and condition of raw materials (i.e. pre-micronized pigment) IKA® Works offers solutions to either wet grind the pigments and / or ensure the final product is agglomerate free. The wide selection of IKA® Generators ensures an ideal fit for the application.

1. Improved cleanliness. Utilizing an IKA® Works MHD powder / liquid mixer allows customers to disperse the powder directly from storage into the liquid without handling.
2. Improved product quality. Carbon black can be ground to 8 Hegman with an IKA® Works Mixer, beyond the level of other high shear manufacturers. Also, IKA® Mixers are known for their extremely tight particle size distribution.
3. Reduced process time. Customers are able to produce results traditionally requiring low throughput media mills in a fraction of the time with an IKA® Works Mixer.

1. Decreased process time. The high speed, high shear mixing of an IKA® Works Mixer ensures rapid, agglomerate free dispersion of the TiO2 powder. IKA® also offers the CMS and MHD powder / liquid mixers to add the powder directly to a liquid stream, often in a single pass.
2. Improved product quality. The high shear mixing action (see Tech Info for more details) of an IKA® Works Mixer ensures that any agglomerates are rapidly broken down and the powder evenly dispersed throughout the liquid. The result is improved gloss and opacity properties, which are directly related to the quality of the dispersion.
3. Reduced capital costs. IKA® Works Mills offer excellent particle size reduction and tight particle size distributions when grinding TiO2. The throughput of an IKA® Works Mill is often much higher than alternate devices, while still achieving a similar grind. High throughputs coupled with the modular concept of the IKA® Works 2000 Series equates to reduced capital costs to the customer.

1. Reduced process time. Traditional methods often take hours for the clay slurry to thicken. The use of an IKA® Works Mixer ensures that the maximum surface area of powder is exposed to the liquid, speeding the gelling process.
2. Decreased raw materials costs. The efficient dispersion achieved with an IKA® Mixer ensures that the maximum viscosity is achieved, eliminating wasted product. Customers often find a substantial raw material savings ( up to 33%) when switching to an IKA® Mixer from alternate devices.
3. Reduced capital costs. IKA® Works Mills offer excellent particle size reduction and tight particle size distributions when grinding TiO2. The throughput of an IKA® Works Mill is often much higher than alternate devices, while still achieving a similar grind. High throughputs coupled with the modular concept of the IKA® Works 2000 Series equates to reduced capital costs to the customer.

1. Reduced employee exposure to toxins. IKA® Works manufactures sealed systems, which allow customers to add toxic materials directly to their product without any operator contact.
2. Reduced process time. Traditional methods often require long agitation times to ensure a complete and uniform dispersion of all ingredients and reduction of any agglomerates. IKA® Mixers utilize rotor / stator technology (see Tech Info) to ensure an instantaneous and uniform dispersion, while breaking down any agglomerates that may form. Further, plants traditionally utilized media mills to ensure proper particle size reduction of the finished product. This process was energy intensive and time consuming. IKA® Mixers are capable of milling solids to <5m m in a fraction of the time required by traditional techniques.
3. Reduced capital costs. The modular design of the IKA® Works 2000 Series allows customers to tailor the mixer to their process, while enjoying the cost benefits of economies of scale.

1. Decreased process time. High active surfactants are often difficult and time consuming to disperse. Using an IKA® High Shear Mixer allows customers to rapidly disperse their high active surfactants in a fraction of the time required by conventional methods.
2. Reduced aeration. Aeration can cause a number of issues for manufacturers including foaming and excessive viscosity. IKA® Works offers aeration free designs, including a non-vacuum or venturi based powder / liquid mixer (MHD), to address this concern.
3. Improved ingredient functionality. The neutralization step often requires substantial energy / shear input to achieve the required pH. The application of a lower shear device will result in long process times and wasted raw materials from over addition of pH adjusting chemicals. IKA® Works Mixers utilize innovative Generator designs to ensure rapid mixing and full utilization of pH adjusting agents. Thus, customers see process times are reduced, pH control is improved, and raw materials usage is decreased.

1. Reduced process time. Conventional methods may take hours to dissolve a resin into a solvent, tying up valuable production resources. IKA® Mixers, through their use of innovative Generator designs and rotor / stator technology (see Tech Info), rapidly reduce solid particles, exposing a large surface area of the resin to solvent. This high speed, high shear action rapidly dissolves the solids, reducing process times.
2. Single source responsibility. IKA® Works is capable of supplying complete systems including tanks, scrape surface agitation (for high viscosity blends), high shear mixers, and controls.
3. Improved operator safety. Solvent emissions and fumes are often a hazard to operators and an environmental concern. IKA® Works Inline Mixers are supplied with double mechanical seals as standard. We also offer a range of options to feed liquid or solid materials directly into the product, without operator exposure.
4. Improved product quality. Manufacturers wet milling a resin must often choose between a tight particle size distribution or rapid process time. IKA® Works offers customers both a tight particle size distribution and rapid process time, while maintaining competitive costs. This is possible due to the economies of scale present with the modular concept of IKA® Works’ innovative 2000 Series Mixers.

1. Improved product consistency. The color of a given product is often a direct result of the pigment / dye dispersion. A better dispersion will yield more vibrant colors. IKA® Works’ range of high shear mixers utilize innovative Generator designs to ensure an agglomerate free product and excellent dispersion of any pigment or dye.
2. Improved product quality. Product quality has a direct relationship to the pigment grind. Products such as gloss paint require fine particle sizes with a tight distribution to achieve the proper shine. The small particle sizes (7-8 hegman is common) and tight size distribution achieved with an IKA® Mixer ensure a high quality product.
3. Reduced capital costs. Dispersion and milling equipment often require a substantial capital oUTL ay. IKA® Works revolutionary 2000 Series Mixers utilize a modular design allowing customers to enjoy the savings associated with economies of scale. Further, a single base unit can be quickly and easily adapted to a wide range of products and processes.

1. Increased yields. IKA® Works Generators are specifically designed to ensure complete dispersion, bringing the catalyst into contact with the other reactants. Further, the high shear rotor / stator action ensures that agglomerates are broken down, surface areas refreshed, and reaction yields are maximized.
2. Decreased production time. The high speed, high shear mixing action of an IKA® Works Mixer ensures that catalyst(s) and reactants are rapidly dispersed within one another, speeding reactions. The high energy input of an IKA® also helps accelerate the reaction process.

1. Decreased heating / melting time. The high shear mixing action of an IKA® Works rotor / stator mixer rapidly reduces the particle size of solids, improving heat transfer and speeding the heating and melting process.
2. Improved product quality. IKA® Mixers provide a uniform dispersion of minor components and sub micron emulsions, with tight droplet size distributions.
3. Turn key systems. IKA® Works has experience and designs for complete systems including process vessels, heat transfer equipment, low and high shear mixers, and plant controls.

1. Reduced capital costs. IKA® Works revolutionary 2000 Series utilizes a modular concept to allow all customers to benefit from economies of scale. These mixers also come with heating jackets and seals capable of high temperature operation* (*care must be taken with elastomer selection), as standard.
2. Improved product consistency. IKA® Works selection of innovative Generators allow the customer to rapidly achieve the desired particle size with a tight size distribution.
3. Improved product quality. The high shear action and multiple Generators of an IKA® Works Mixer allow customers to produce particle sizes down to 1mm or less.

1. Degumming. This involves treating the crude oil with water and / or acid (typically phosphoric acid) to hydrate phosphatides and allow separation through centrifugation.
2. Alkali refining. The degummed oil is then treated with an alkali solution (i.e. NaOH) to reduce the free fatty acid content and remove other impurities through conversion to water soluble soaps. These soaps are removed from the oil with a water wash.
3. leaching. The oil is purified further and colors removed through bleaching. Typically, diotomaceous earth or clay is used to absorb color affecting substances. The clay and absorbed impurities are then filtered out.
4. Deodorization. Vacuum steam distillation is then used to remove volatile compounds that may affect taste, color, or odor.
5. The oil can then be either subjected to fractionation, hydrogenation, interesterification, esterification, or simply packaged depending on the properties desired in the final product.

1. Reduced additive quantities. The intense high shear mixing action (see Tech Info for more details) of an IKA® Mixer ensures intimate contact between the oil and any additives (i.e. phosphoric acid, caustic soda) allowing a smaller quantity of additive to treat a larger quantity of oil.
2. Decreased processing times. Utilizing innovative Generator designs and up to three distinct stages of rotors and stators, IKA®Mixers ensure that all components are intimately blended together. This allows additives to work more rapidly and a higher purity oil is produced more quickly.
3. Improved filtration efficiency. The IKA® CMS and MHD mixers are capable of rapidly and effectively dispersing the clay or diatomaceous earth throughout the oil. This allows a more effective bleaching process and lowers the occurrence of clogged filters.
4. Versatility. The modular concept of the IKA® Works 2000 Series Mixers allows a single unit to be adapted to a wide range process requirements.