What is an inline high shear mixer?
An inline high shear mixer, also called an in-line high shear mixer, high shear inline mixer or inline shear mixer, sits in a pipeline or a recirculation loop instead of inside the tank. A rotor turning at high speed inside a close-fitting stator draws the product into the work head, shears it in the narrow gap and forces it out to the next step. It replaces a simple agitator where that agitator is not effective in mixing.
Our inline high shear mixers share four features:
- Self-pumping. They create a centrifugal pumping action, so in most cases no external pump is needed.
- No bypass. Material cannot pass from the inlet to the outlet without going through the rotor-stator work head.
- Air-free. The mixer, vessel and pipework form a closed system, so the mixing is aeration-free.
- Interchangeable stators. The stator designs are interchangeable and are changed to suit the particle size required. We use CFD to determine them.
Our inline high shear mixer range
We make four kinds of inline high shear mixer. All work on the rotor-stator principle; each is built for a different job.
| Mixer | Main job | Key figures | More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inline homogenizer (single, two or four stage) | Emulsifying, dispersing, dissolving and particle size reduction, in a single pass or on a recirculating batch | 15–200,000 L/hr; tip speed up to 95 m/s (single and two stage); 20+ rotor-stator designs; four-stage design patented | Inline homogenizer |
| Super Mill | Inline high shear rotor-stator mixing at high tip speed | 6,000 rpm; tip speed 45–65 m/s; self-pumping; single pass or recirculating batch | On request |
| Liquid powder mixer (LPM) | Drawing powders into a flowing liquid under vacuum and wetting them at once, without dust | LPM 10 to LPM 200 (10–200 HP); 30–675 kg/min powder induction (CaCO₃, hopper feed); up to 80% solids in the final product | Liquid powder mixer |
| Shear pump | Pumping and shearing in one unit | Single-stage, four-blade rotor; 4 stator heads; high-viscosity lines | Shear pump |
The three inline homogenizer models have their own pages: the single stage, two stage and four stage inline homogenizer.
Two systems combine an inline mixer with a vessel:
- The dis-integrated dissolver: a bottom-mounted homogenizer on the vessel breaks down blocks and agglomerates, then the mix is fed to an inline homogenizer for a fine, smooth finish. Used for rubbers, polymers, lube oils and adhesives.
- The vacuum processing plant: a vacuum tank and scraper agitation with integrated inline high shear mixing, for air-free products.
Inline high shear mixer or inline homogenizer?
The two names overlap. An inline homogenizer is an inline high shear mixer: a rotor-stator mixer in the line.
- We use inline homogenizer for our single-, two- and four-stage machines, whose job is to emulsify, homogenize and reduce particle size. How they work, how the stages compare and their full specifications are on our inline homogenizer page.
- Inline high shear mixer covers the whole inline range on this page, including the machines built for other jobs: the liquid powder mixer for drawing in powders and the shear pump for pumping.
How to choose an inline high shear mixer
Start from the job the mixer has to do:
- Large volumes of powder into a liquid: a liquid powder mixer. Powders are drawn straight from silos, sacks, hoppers or barrels into the flowing liquid under vacuum, dust-free, and no foreign air is entrapped in the stream.
- Emulsions, fine dispersions and particle size reduction: an inline homogenizer. Each extra stage refines the product further in the same pass; the four-stage model often reaches the target particle size in a single pass.
- Moving a product while shearing it, including viscous products: a shear pump.
- Hard solids, rubber or polymer blocks: the dis-integrated dissolver, which breaks the solids down in the vessel before the inline homogenizer finishes the mix.
- Very viscous liquids: inline homogenizers can be force-fed with a positive displacement pump.
- Products that must stay free of air: an inline mixer in a closed system, or the vacuum processing plant.
We also use CFD analysis to determine the right mixer and stator design.
Inline or batch high shear mixing?
- Inline suits continuous, high-volume lines. Inline blending mixes the product on its way through, which cuts transfers and removes the batch-tank agitation step.
- Batch high shear mixers are often better suited to smaller-scale or multi-product production. See our batch homogenizers.
For the full rotor-stator range, batch, inline, bottom-mounted and laboratory, see our high shear mixers page.
Construction and options
| Item | What we offer |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | To ISO practices |
| Hygiene | Hygienic designs; inline homogenizers can be configured to FDA norms, with CIP/SIP models on request |
| Hazardous areas | Explosion-proof models; ATEX, NEMA and UL certification on request |
| Materials of construction | From alloy steels to various polymers |
| Sealing and temperature | Double mechanical sealing and jacketed mixers, optional |
| Connections | Flanged, DIN, Tri-clamp, ASA, or to your specification (inline homogenizers) |
| Stators | Interchangeable designs, chosen with CFD |
Where inline high shear mixers are used
- Paints and lacquers: LPM homogenizers disperse pigments and fillers into the liquid without agglomerates; see dispersion of paints and lacquers.
- Textile pigments: inline high shear mixers with powder suction (LPM) work inside continuous processing lines; see textile pigment dispersion.
- Waterborne coatings: inline mixers and vacuum-rated vessels can be designed to keep air out of the product; see industrial waterborne coatings.
- Drilling fluids: inline high shear mixers suit larger batches of synthetic oil-based mud and higher viscosities; see synthetic oil-based mud preparation.
- Lube oils, rubbers and polymers: the dis-integrated dissolver; see our lube oil blending plant.
- Tomato ketchup: inline high shear mixers are among the machines for the processing section of our tomato processing plant.
- Creams, lotions, gels and sauces: air-free mixing in the vacuum processing plant.
Try it on your product first
You can run a trial on your own product in our fully equipped laboratory before you order, or keep a machine, pre-configured to your requirements, on our rental program for as long as you need. See trials and rentals.
For bench work, our laboratory inline homogenizer has a 1 HP, 2,900 rpm drive motor, a spindle speed of up to 9,500 rpm with VFD control, and round-hole or emulsion stators. It uses the same rotor-stator principle as the production machines.
Frequently asked questions
What is an inline high shear mixer?
A rotor-stator mixer installed in a pipeline or recirculation loop, also called an inline shear mixer. The product is drawn into the work head, sheared in the gap between rotor and stator and pushed out to the next step, so mixing, dispersing, emulsifying or powder wetting happens as the product flows.
What is the difference between an inline high shear mixer and an inline homogenizer?
An inline homogenizer is one kind of inline high shear mixer. We use the name for our single-, two- and four-stage machines, built to emulsify, homogenize and reduce particle size. Our inline high shear mixer range also includes the Super Mill, liquid powder mixers and the shear pump.
Can an inline high shear mixer add powders to a liquid?
Yes. A liquid powder mixer creates a vacuum in the flowing liquid and draws powders in, dust-free. Models run from LPM 10 to LPM 200, with powder induction of up to 675 kg/min for calcium carbonate fed from a hopper, and up to 80% solids in the final product.
Does an inline high shear mixer need a separate pump?
Usually not. Our inline mixers are self-pumping. High-viscosity liquids can be force-fed with a positive displacement pump. Where pumping is the main job, a shear pump pumps and shears in one unit.
Should I choose inline or batch high shear mixing?
Inline suits continuous, high-volume lines and cuts transfers between tanks. Batch high shear mixers are often better for smaller-scale or multi-product production.
Can inline high shear mixers be used in hygienic or hazardous areas?
Yes. We make hygienic designs and explosion-proof models, and ATEX, NEMA and UL certification can be provided on request.
