Agitation is how fast and in what manner the mixing takes place. In order for most materials to be mixed properly, it is necessary to keep movement applied to the components. Processes and materials that are more difficult to combine will generally take a higher horsepower industrial mixer and more time. Viscosity of the liquids, settling rates of solids, corrosive characteristics, and other important physical properties of the mixing process should also be taken into consideration while determining the rate of agitation your mixer will require.


Industrial mixers are defined in terms of horsepower, speed, and torque. Speed is measured in RPM and torque is based on a mathematical equation based on pounds per square inch. Low speed mixers usually offer more torque while high horsepower industrial mixers usually have a higher turn-over rate. When determining whether more horsepower or torque is needed, you must refer to the above process of finding out the desired material and the viscosity of the mixture. The size of the object that is doing the actual mixing on industrial mixers is also important; this object is defined as the propeller or impeller.

With so many different items to look at when it comes to industrial mixing, it is important to educate yourself as much as possible on the subject. Speed change increase or decrease power of the mixing process. High speed is ideal for light liquids or solutions; intermediate speed is perfect for varnishes, oils, and syrups and low-speed is for situations requiring thick, crystalline, foamy, or substances harmed by high-speed mixing. Most industrial mixers use a smaller propeller for high-speed mixing, while low-speed mixing usually uses a larger propeller. There are exceptions to this rule, and sometimes a high-speed mixer with a large propeller or impeller is needed.

Industrial mixers also use a varying number of propellers or impellers at times. The power of a mixer can be maintained with one or two propellers, and the shape of the vessel will usually determine how many propellers or impellers are needed. A single propeller is usually sufficient for mixing processes, but dual propellers are recommended when the mixture contains dry materials that are difficult to wet. The dual propeller layout usually causes a vortex in the middle that draw the hard to wet materials down where they can be further mixed by the lower propeller.

It’s no surprise that with all of the science and different elements that go into the process, that industrial mixing is difficult to do on a large-scale level. Those who have done the research and properly analyzed their needs within the industrial mixing world have no problem picking for the myriad of different models of industrial mixer out there. Many sites won’t offer the information needed to make the correct purchase, and therefore, business owners must determine exactly what they wish to accomplish before stepping foot in the realm of purchasing an industrial mixer.

What may be the best investment your company can make; the applications of an industrial mixer are just as vast as the thought that goes into the process.  A necessity in many industries, industrial mixers are perfect for completing difficult mixing tasks in shorter time as well as creating a higher volume of mixture. A hefty investment, industrial mixers are not cheap, but the payout can be tremendous. In order to avoid an unwise investment, find out exactly what mixing processes your company needs to carry out, what speed the mixing process requires, how many propellers it needs to work properly, and the best mixer to meet your speed and horsepower requirement.

The next type is a lithium ion traction battery. These batteries will eventually replace all the other types of batteries because of its efficiency and long life, right now however it is very expensive. It is however used in many hybrids.


The final type is a Nickel cadmium battery. These are very similar to the nickel metal hydrate type of traction battery, but are a little cheaper than it. However these batteries are very dangerous because of the chemicals in them. And require proper disposal, making them very unpopular.

There are many safety things that must be done when handling tractions batteries, many of which go ignored by companies who use forklifts with traction batteries. Some of the things you shouldn’t do include:

* Never over fill. It will cause overflow on the next charge. Acid loss shortens run time, generates more heat, and requires shop service to correct.
* Never make a habit of giving short charges during lunch or break time. Each short charge constitutes a “cycle” and over time will significantly affect the performance and life of the battery. It also causes excess heat that will make the battery less efficient than not charging at all. It’s better to let a battery rest and cool during lunch or breaks.
* Never interrupt a charge cycle if it is avoidable. It is recommended that once a charge cycle is initiated, it be allowed complete.
* Never allow a battery to sit discharged for more than a few days to avoid “sulfation”. If it becomes necessary to store a battery for any period of time, charge it prior, and once every 3 to 6 months thereafter to avoid damage.
* Never allow a battery to go completely dead (unusable). It will take over 72 hours of continuous charging to bring back to full charge, and may require shop service to restore full charge.
* Never continue to use an overheating battery. If a forklift battery ever radiates excessive heat during use or charging or emits a strong sulfur smell, discontinue use and call for service. You have a battery, charger or lift problem.
* Never allow sparks or flame near a charging battery. Batteries produce explosive hydrogen gas while charging, which could cause an explosion resulting in injury or death.

Traction forklift batteries are very useful in vehicles like forklifts and may one day make its way over to the car industry, we will have to wait and see.

There are four main types of traction batteries on the market today. The first one being the cheapest and most common used battery, the lead-acid battery. These batteries are used in almost 80% of all traction batteries used; however they also experience the most problems of the four. Of the four these batteries require the most maintenance and can easily be flooded. This happens a lot from over usage, which is a problem in almost any place they are used. There are places however that do not allow lead-acid traction batteries and require you to use one of the other four. This is because of how they have many problems and problems that lead to acid leaks, and acid leaks are very dangerous to be around.