New product development can be driven by many factors; in the case of a new range of high shear laboratory mixers, a project initiated to improve some components in existing units, and a specific requirement from a customer in the pharmaceutical industry, resulted in a completely new concept.
Initially the research and development team at Silverson Machines Ltd set out to find an alternative to the switches used for their rise and fall mechanism, as in certain industries handling of sticky materials or high levels of dust could cause these to malfunction over time.
The solution was touchscreen control, eliminating physical switches altogether. This move to a digital system allowed the incorporation of a system previously developed to provide a guaranteed degree of accuracy and repeatability in ‘standardised testing’ procedures in pharmaceutical assay.
This comprised an integral timer, constant speed function and a more precise rise and fall mechanism.
Coupled with the existing ammeter and tachometer, the new L5 Series mixers provide an exceptional level of instrumentation and automation combined with enhanced performance – and with more than 40 interchangeable mixing assemblies available, unrivalled versatility.
Silverson Machines’s laboratory mixers are suitable for routine laboratory work, research and development, quality assurance analysis and small scale production in all industries.
For example, the company’s L4RT is suitable for the widest range of applications – mixing, emulsifying, homogenising, disintegrating, dissolving – with efficiency and flexibility unmatched by other machines.
With a capacity from 1ml up to 12 litres and the ability to mix in-line with flow rates up to 20 litres/minute, this mixer is said by the company to offer excellent reproducibility when scaling up to full scale production and provides an accurate and easy means of forecasting the performance of larger Silverson machines under full scale working conditions.
The digital tachometer gives a constant speed readout and is invaluable for applications where process validation and reproducibility are required.
Silverson Machines Limited is based in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, UK. www.silverson.com
