Abstract: A stirrer for a planetary mixer has an upper central hub with two outwardly extending horizontal arms and two helical stirring elements, one depending from each arm. According to the presently preferred embodiments, the cross sectional area of the stirring elements is large enough that no bottom crossbar is necessary. The pitch angle of each stirring element is preferably constant from top to bottom. The leading side of the stirring elements has a flat surface whereas the trailing side is curved. The flat surface increases in size moving toward the bottom of the stirring element.

Abstract: A rotor-stator assembly includes a rotor and a stator, each of which includes at least one surface having a plurality of grooves defining a plurality of ridges and valleys. The grooves are located so that material in the rotor grooves is caused to collide with material in the stator grooves or vice versa. Ideally, the grooves have a curved cross section so that material is caused to spin in the grooves. Material spinning in a stator groove is caused to collide with material spinning in a rotor groove and vice versa. The number of times that particles are caused to collide depends on the number and length of the grooves in relation to the depth of the grooves. Shear zones are located between the grooves on the stator and the grooves on the rotor.

Abstract: A rotor-stator assembly having a stator and a rotor for mixing and emulsifying materials in which the rotor includes wedge-shaped rotor blades and the stator includes generally V-shaped openings which together impart additional and increased high speed shearing forces and/or pressures on the mixture thereby resulting in a finer reduction of agglomerates and mixture uniformity. The rotor blades preferably comprise a wedge-shaped leading edge and desirably the blades have a V-shaped cross-section. The stator preferably includes a first plurality of elongated, spaced-apart slots, and a second plurality of spaced-apart slots. The slots are disposed so as to define a generally V-shaped configuration around the circumference of the stator.

Abstract: An epicyclic mixing system for materials held in a tank is provided having dual concentric sun shafts which both orbit a pair of planetary drive shafts having mixing implements at their bottom ends and act to rotate the pair of planetary drive shafts about their own axes. The two concentric shafts are connected to dual drivers through separate drive systems so that the shafts can be selectively operated at different rotating speeds.Another epicyclic mixing system includes upper and lower housings driven about a central axis that extends through the upper housing by a sun drive shaft. The lower housing is adjustably secured to the upper housing. A first planetary drive shaft extends through the upper housing and a second planetary drive shaft extends through the lower housing. The first drive shaft is driven by a fixed sun gear about which the lower housing rotates so as to rotate the first drive shaft, which rotates the second drive shaft by way of a gear train.