The latest tech buzzwords include customization, smart machines, and automation. These words will also become buzzwords in liquid processing. In fact, a lot of new liquid processing equipment is built daily with these expectations in mind. Here’s what you can expect in 2024 and beyond, according to today’s trends.
Customization Abilities
Consumers now have access to levels of customization never before possible with many of their everyday purchases. We can expect that to carry over into the liquids they buy, from house paint to the beer they drink to the medicines they need. Machinery built with this in mind will allow for wider varieties of mixes, quick and frequent changeovers, easy cleaning for new mixes, and interchangeable components for increased uses.
The drive toward customization may also include the need for smaller machinery—equipment with a smaller footprint—so additional machinery can be installed for multiple mixes of similar products. Small batch designs can be highly specialized and include the needs for specializing mixing and high shear dispersion equipment.
Smart Machines
Smart machines aren’t new, but they continue to evolve as we develop new ways to harness the power of artificial intelligence, data collection, and remote access. The ability to harness the data that machines generate during manufacturing allows artificial intelligence to determine ways to make processes more efficient and effective.
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical analysis and data structures to analyze and solve problems involving fluid flows. Companies like LIGHTNIN and Philadelphia Mixers have a rich tradition of using CFD as a predictive tool for technical mixer designs and in the future may partner this skill set with AI for an even more powerful modeling tool.
Automation
The data the machines generate also allow engineers to determine which parts of the processes can be automated for more efficient and effective mixes. The more automated the procedures can be, the less manpower manufacturers need. The increased efficiency will result in better product consistency and huge cost savings.
One of the more recent trends in mixer automation is measuring the process torque being supplied by the mixer and controlled in a feedback loop to allow for more repeatable process results and to prevent major process upsets from occurring. For example, in a heat transfer process, different fluid viscosities and their application will require different amounts of Torque per Equivalent Volume to ensure a quality product or prevent the failure of equipment.
Machinery Upgrades
Because the machinery needed to continue to compete in the industry includes the above capabilities, many companies have already begun making systematic upgrades to their liquid processing equipment and adding additional equipment. Manufacturing design firms also make use of customization and automation equipment to help devise production floor layouts, choose the best equipment for the expected output, and introduce technology that could revolutionize the manufacturer’s processing abilities.
Replacing and adding equipment is an expensive but necessary endeavor if you want to continue to compete in the same space or, even better, take a step up into bigger territories. Working with a knowledgeable representative who understands the various brands and technologies, both existing and emerging, can help you stay on trend and even surpass your competitors with innovative efforts.
Through innovative mixer technology, the team at SPX FLOW US, LLC – LIGHTNIN & Philadelphia Mixers has always been dedicated to helping customers design solutions for their critical mixing processes and meeting their ever-changing needs. When partnering with major producers – their mixers help them become more sustainable, while also lowering their total cost of ownership. For 100 years, LIGHTNIN has set the bar for mixing technology and will continue to raise the bar to meet the future needs of the marketplace. To learn more, reach out to your local representative soon.