The machine surface area is listed on the bottom right hand corner of your main assembly drawing.
The year your machine was built is listed on the bottom right hand corner of your main assembly drawing.
The size of your unit can be found on your GEMCO name plate which is located on the drive side support frame of your mixer/dryer. It is also listed in the center of the main drawing of your mixer/dryer.
GEMCO suggests that the fill level of your unit be 55% or a little above the half-way point of the vessel. Click here for more info on blender fill levels.
Yes, the agitator does not have to be used if it isn’t needed.
Yes, if your unit has a spray feature you are not obligated to use it. The product will still blend and/or dry.
Cover clamps can be hand tightened, no tools are necessary.
Yes, GEMCO is capable of changing out your valve design to one that better suits your needs. (See Valves)
The maximum air pressure of the cylinders should be 120 PSI.
Your GEMCOMATIC air cylinders can hold up to 90-PSI.
GEMCO does not offer fabrication drawings, as these are proprietary.
The size of your GEMCO unit can be found on the bottom right hand corner of your main assembly drawing.
Training from a GEMCO technician is available, yes. Please contact GEMCO Parts & Service at 732.752.7900 or engineer2@okgemco.com
Most importantly, if you overfill your blender, you risk damaging your machine. RULE #1: Nothing mixes until it moves. When you overfill the blender, there is less void space for powder to move into. The powder acts like cars in a traffic jam. The powder at the bottom has to wait longer to move and then mix. You will change the efficiency of your blender for the worse. The time required to mix will increase with over filling. Each of the three shapes has a different ability to handle overloading.
You will change the efficiency of the blender for the better. Mixing time will usually decrease slightly. Tumble blender sizes are designed to operate at near peak efficiency. Peak efficiency is reached within a 5% load level drop so no more time will be saved. Particle characteristics play a major role in under filling. Particle shape, size or lubricity could make a batch “slide” on the walls of the blender rather than blend. If the load moves in a complete mass, it is “sliding”, it is not mixing.
• Is the blender over or under filled?
• Did the product blend long enough?
• Were the samples pulled from the blender or from drums after discharge? Material may segregate during discharge even though the blend was perfect.
Static charges can form in the blender or have been transferred into it from a previous milling step. These charges can make powder stick to the walls of the blender. It can make blending difficult or cause segregation at discharge. These static charges can even cause problems as far down as the packaging lines. GEMCO has a “Static Arrestor” which is installed on both blender shafts. The special construction of the GEMCO shat allows the charge to be picked up and sent to a safe grounding location in your plant. The Static Arrestors are easy to install.
Use the following URL to hyperlink, “1999 FDA SUPAC Guidance on Manufacturing” – https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/supac-manufacturing-equipment-addendum
The Double Cone and Slant Cone shape are not sensitive to order of loading. Their mass movement of material keeps the whole load together and moving. Loading a V shape blender correctly is an important factor in blend quality. The configuration of the legs split the batch in half every revolution. Therefore, layering ingredients allows material to be split equally from the beginning of the batch. If loading in a V shape is not consistent, blend efficiency will be affected. It is recommended to load V blenders from the valve so material naturally splits into the legs equally when it hits the crotch of the vessel internally.
During powder packaging operations electrostatic charge generation is expected to develop on powder particles as they make and break contact with the surfaces of the processing and conveying equipment. Generally, the faster the particles make and break contact or rub against other surfaces the higher the level will be of electrostatic charge that is generated on the particles. If the powders are insulating or if the particles are transferred into an insulating liner or container, the charge could remain on the particles for some very long period of time. Electrostatic charging of powders could give rise to problems such as bulk density variation, adhesion to surfaces, and poor flow, as well as electrostatic discharges that can potentially cause flash fires and explosions.
The measures that could be taken to control or eliminate the electrostatic charging effects depend on two properties of the powder (or powder blend). These are:
• Electrostatic Chargeability – This is a measure of how high a powder becomes electrostatically charged during processing and transfer operations. This measurement could be conducted on-site or in a laboratory.
• Volume Resistivity – This is a measure of how insulating a powder is and how long it takes to lose its electrostatic charge once in contact with ground.
This is a laboratory-based test.
The measure(s) that is required to control electrostatic charge on a powder depends on the electrostatic chargeability and volume resistivity characteristics of the powder.
• If possible and practical, controlling the relative humidity and powder flow rate.
• Using appropriately designed and positioned active electrostatic charge neutralizing devices.
