Category: mixing

Accurate, repeatable mixers in scientific research
In the scientific community, particularly in universities, THINKY Mixers are becoming more prominent as a way to mix challenging liquids, pastes, and powders in research into nanotechnology, batteries, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and many more applications. A simple Google Patents search for “THINKY” demonstrates the huge number of technology and scientific breakthroughs that relied on the abilities […]
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Avoiding voids in aerospace potting applications
Formulators of potting materials for aerospace electronics applications are careful not to supply products with entrapped air. Consequently, entrapped air is usually a processing issue which can compromise thermal conductivity and heat dissipation, or the electrical insulation properties. Voids and delamination can also provide pathways for moisture and other contaminates, weaking the physical structure. If […]
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Preparation of advanced coatings on cathode materials using Thinky mixers
A shout out to Ed Harrison, a student at University of Birmingham. In the summer of 2022, the Faraday Undergraduate Summer Experience (FUSE) internship programme provided internships for undergraduate students to undertake paid eight-week placements with battery researchers from partner universities, and Ed was a part of this programme. His poster on Making and Testing […]
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Case study: protecting rugged, outdoor work lights from the elements
Venta Global is a tier one supplier of lighting solutions to vehicle and machinery manufacturers, offering a complete service from custom design to delivery. It has made significant investment into new technology for its UK production facility in Hampshire that deskills processes to enable consistent and reliable results, removes inconsistencies due to operator variance, and […]
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Case study: potting a bespoke telematics system
Bulk Tainer Logistics provides bespoke transport services for the shipment of bulk liquid products globally, operating a fleet of 12,000 chemical, feed, and food grade tank containers. To optimise the performance of its fleet, the company wanted to fit its tanks with smart monitoring devices that tracked the movement of the tanks and the condition […]
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Case study: improving mixing accuracy and repeatability for 3D printed bioelectronics research
To improve the way recovery from injury and the progression of neurological/musculoskeletal conditions are monitored, the Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering (ACSE) team at the University of Sheffield is developing a diagnostic glove that includes several flexible bioelectronic sensors. The sensors are formed from elastomers mixed with various conductive nano or micro particle […]
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Case study: epoxy mixed by THINKY headed to the Moon
It’s been 50 years since the USA softly landed a spacecraft on the Moon’s surface. Something Intuitive Machines, based in Texas, is looking to change. When sending expensive, often delicate, machinery and equipment into the depths of space, achieving the most reliable bonds between components is mission critical. For this very reason, Arnab Roy, Production […]
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Take the guesswork out of your THINKY mixing process development
Turning your THINKY planetary mixing machine up to 11 for a long period of time may mix most materials homogeneously, but for other, heat sensitive components, it could do more harm than good. To enhance your process understanding and help keep those mixing speeds optimal, our partner, mixing and degassing machine manufacturer THINKY, has created […]
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Case study: improving sealing quality while maximising productivity in gas sensor manufacture
When gas sensor manufacturer DD-Scientific wanted to improve the accuracy, repeatability, and productivity of an epoxy sealing process, they asked us. DD-Scientific now benefits from robot-mounted preeflow® eco-DUO precision metering, mixing and dispensing systems, which save the company 23 days of staff time per year, while maintaining the high-quality the company’s products demand. DD-Scientific’s sensors […]
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Achieving a fast, repeatable mixing process without air bubbles
Transforming multiple parts of liquids, pastes and powders into homogeneous, ready-to-use materials which are air and bubble free – that’s what our THINKY planetary mixers do. Our newly released Technical Bulletin Achieving a fast, repeatable mixing process without air bubbles summarises the capabilities of these machines: Planetary mixing Degassing Mixing under vacuum Which capabilities you […]
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Achieving return on investment (ROI) with a mixing process
When mixing liquids, pastes and powders during an industrial process, you may identify issues that lead you to consider alternative methods. Common areas for improvement include variance due to a manual process, difficulty validating the process, or a high defect rate. You may also have productivity reasons to change your mixing processes, such as to […]
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Video: vacuum mixing, degassing, and set-up of THINKY ARV-501 Mixer
Our partners at THINKY, makers of planetary centrifugal mixers, have produced a video detailing how to use the THINKY ARV-501 vacuum mixer, with or without the vacuum mixing functionality. In this video, you can see how the user interface works, how to set up a program, and learn about the mixer’s PC interface: The […]
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New: 700g vacuum centrifugal planetary Thinky mixer
If you are mixing ultra-critical applications where even micro-bubbles cannot be tolerated, you may need the latest industrial non-contact vacuum planetary mixer, the THINKY ARV-501CE. The unit has a maximum capacity of 700g for mixing, de-foaming and degassing any combination of liquids, powders, and pastes. It is suitable for all engineering compounds, from low viscosity to […]
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New product: 2-K-DOS Metering, Mixing and Dispensing System
The mixing and dispensing of two-part potting compounds, encapsulants and similar products has to be one of the trickiest production processes to get under control. If you are looking to scale up or streamline your existing process, we are now able to offer the 2-K-DOS Metering, Mixing and Dispensing System. It is based on gear […]
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New product: preeflow® eco-DUOMIX450 precision metering, dynamic mixing and dispensing system
The metering, mixing and application of two-part materials is always a tricky business, more so when the required amounts are relatively small – in the sub-millilitre range. If the two parts are of quite different viscosities, or the mix ratio is much greater than 1:1, or there are fillers involved, then it is even more […]
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Thinky mixers play important role in materials R&D
An interesting exercise: go to Google Patents and search for the term “Thinky”. The results demonstrate the enormous range of original technology breakthroughs which have depended on the ability of Thinky mixers to mix challenging liquids, pastes and powders in nanotechnology, batteries, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and many more. Can we help you with your R&D?
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Cooling system extends uses for THINKY mixers
We have a long and successful history of selling THINKY mixers for mixing and/or degassing of materials including pastes, liquids, powders, inks, and very high viscosity materials. Our experience, and that of our customers, is that they do a superb job of quickly mixing these media to a homogeneous, bubble-free compound with consistent results every […]
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Centrifugal mixing for polymer nanocomposites
Just published in its second edition is Polymer Nanocomposites: Processing, Characterization, and Applications by Dr Joseph Koo. This thoroughly revised guide offers a concise introduction to polymer nanocomposites that is ideal for engineers who need to use nanomaterials in real-world situations. Written by a recognized expert in the field, the book explains how polymer nanocomposites […]
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What is a planetary mixer?
THINKY Mixers are industrial non-contact “planetary ” mixers for all liquids, pastes, powders and fillers – and any combination of liquids or liquids/solids. This includes engineering compounds, pharmaceutical or cosmetic formulations, and nano-particle dispersions. They mix, disperse and degas your materials in seconds to minutes, in a sealed or lid-less container such as a jar, […]
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Mixing a slurry in stem cell research
It is pleasing to report that one of our Thinky Mixers has helped some research by a team from UCL. Their just published paper is entitled Argon plasma surface modification promotes the therapeutic angiogenesis and tissue formation of tissue-engineered scaffolds in vivo by adipose-derived stem cells. Synthetic implants are being used to restore injured or […]
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THINKY mixers prove successful in battery slurry formulation
We have recently had excellent feedback from several of our customers on the success of THINKY mixers for their research and development and small-scale production of battery slurries. The growing demand for lithium-ion batteries has inspired businesses to develop electrode slurry materials, including optimisation of formulations. The slurry consists of electrode particles, small carbon particles to help conduction and […]
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Case study: preeflow precision dispensing improves automotive gasket quality
The automobile manufacturing industry places high demands on suppliers with regard to process reliability, quality and efficiency. To meet these challenges, a preeflow® customer had to optimise his application of a two-part sealant to make a form-in-place (FIP) automotive gasket. In his previous process, the dispensed sealant bead exceeded the tolerance limits at the point […]
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THINKY ARM-310: an affordable mixing machine for liquids, pastes and powders
We have a new addition to our line of THINKY mixing machines: the THINKY ARM-310 mixing machine for liquids, pastes and powders. The new Thinky ARM-310 Engineering Compounds Mixer offers an alternative to mixing by hand, with simple operation and fully homogeneous results in a few minutes, and results which are repeatable time after time. The […]
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Thinky mixers and precision dosing at Making Pharmaceuticals Exhibition, 24-25th April 2018, Coventry
The mixing together of liquids, pastes, powders and fillers is a critical process in many sectors, not least in pharmaceutical and cosmetics R&D and production. Getting a fully homogeneous bubble-free mix of materials, especially those with different forms or viscosities, is of paramount concern. Speed and repeatability of the pharmaceutical mixing process will aid productivity […]
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Case study: mixing and degassing PDMS for microfluidic manufacture
This paper describes the development of a microfluidic platform for the formation and maintenance of blood microvessels. A mould is fabricated using photolithography, which is then used to cast the microfluidic from PDMS (poly-dimethylsiloxane). One of the key issues during the microfluidic production is the complete filling of all the microstructures with the uncured PDMS. […]
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Accurate, consistent dispensing you can trust
One of our new print advertisements!
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How to degas a syringe using a THINKY ARE-250 mixing and degassing machine
How to degas a syringe using a THINKY mixing and degassing machine is a visual guide to removing air from syringe packaged materials. Suitable for degassing materials from low to high viscosity the THINKY ARE-250 can also uniformly mix your compound, epoxy, adhesive, silicone, paste, powder or other material before being decanted into syringes and degassed ready […]
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How to get started with your THINKY ARE-250 mixing and degassing machine
The latest addition to our YouTube channel features an explanation of just how quick and easy it is to get going with a THINKY mixing and degassing machine. THINKY Mixers are industrial non-contact “planetary” mixers for all engineering compounds. They mix, disperse and degas your materials in seconds to minutes, in a sealed or lid-less […]
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Mixing and sub-micron degassing in 20 litre quantities
The new Thinky ARV-10K Twin planetary mixer offers the mixing and degassing capabilities of the Thinky technology in a size suitable for larger production. The planetary action on the twin 10 litre containers results in repeatable and fully homogeneous mixing, combined with simultaneous deaeration and degassing down to sub-micron levels. This twin mixer system offers […]
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Side-by-side syringe cartridges – dispensing two part adhesives
Some of the two-part adhesives, sealants and other materials we supply are packaged in side-by-side syringe cartridges. In this packaging, the materials are already pre-measured in the correct ratio, saving time and material handling. The correct amounts of material are fed into a static mixing nozzle, which ensures thorough mixing whilst no air is introduced. The entire cartridge does […]
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Precision metering, mixing & dispensing facilitates miniaturisation
Trends in miniaturisation call for smaller, more precise and ever more repeatable metering, mixing & dispensing units for two-part materials. The preeflow® eco-duo330 sets new standards in micro-dosing for two component systems by providing dosages as small as 0.2 to 32ml/min with precisely mixed material, complete repeatability and exceptional control. This is expected to be of particular value […]
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Mixing silicones for facial and other prosthetics – in the press
It’s great to see our Thinky ARE-250 Mixing and Degassing Machine feature in the latest edition of the Journal of the Institute of Maxillofacial Prosthetists and Technologists (IMPT). The piece describes how we worked with Jim Dimond, Consultant Clinical Maxillofacial Prosthetist at University Hospital Coventry to help him save time and improve the quality of their mixing process when mixing […]
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Case study: preeflow volumetric adhesive dispensing helps ensure integrity of life-saving medical device
Our customer BPR Medical, based in Mansfield, Nottingham, is a perfect example of a small British company which combines expertise, creativity and entrepreneurialism to design, develop and manufacture world-beating products for export worldwide and use in the United Kingdom, for which it was rewarded in 2012 with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation. As with […]
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Case study: mixing silicones for facial and other prosthetics
The manufacture of a medical prosthetic device for a patient’s face or similar area is a highly skilled job; each one is unique, and needs to be handled with great sensitivity, as both functional and cosmetic considerations are involved. It may require careful mixing and colour matching of a silicone moulding compound, with no air […]
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Twinpacks – mixing of adhesives and potting compounds
We supply a number of our adhesives and potting compounds in twinpacks. This convenient packaging offers benefits – the materials are pre-weighed in their correct mixing ratios, which saves time, and improves quality by removing the step of manually weighing out each part. Mixing within the twinpack reduces the handling of chemicals, cuts down on mess […]
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Video: compare Thinky mixers with silicone resin mixing and defoaming
This video on our YouTube channel compares and contrasts our most popular Thinky Mixers, using the mixing and defoaming of silicone resin as an example. The manufacturer’s video shows a Thinky ARE-310 – the equivalent machine available in Europe is the Thinky ARE-250, which is functionally the same. Thinky mixers use a combination of rotation […]
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Thinky Mixers – new catalogues released
Thinky, our partner for mixing and degassing machines, has released a new set of catalogues detailing their products and technology. The Thinky Mixer Catalogue presents the principles of planetary mixing alongside practical advice about what materials can benefit from the technology. Comprehensive technical specifications are provided for each mixer in the Thinky range, from small benchtop […]
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Video: Thinky ARE-250 benchtop mixer mixes & degasses
Intertronics offers a benchtop mixer that mixes, disperses and degasses liquids, pastes and powders without a vacuum. The Thinky ARE-250 features a planetary design that simultaneously revolves and rotates the ingredients being mixed. Materials are mixed in your sealed or lid-less containers such as jars, beakers, syringe barrels or cartridges. Used in critical applications in […]
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Update to eco-DUO widens possibilities for mixing and dispensing
The eco-DUO, a precision mixing and dispensing system manufactured by preeflow, has always provided volumetrically accurate, repeatable dispensing for two-component materials with a mixing ratio between 1:1 and 5:1. Now, preeflow has updated the eco-DUO to mix materials in up to a 10:1 ratio. The preeflow eco-DUO uses the precision dispensing technology of the preeflow […]
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Material mixing and dispensing prove key for LED production quality
British LED manufacturer Plessey Semiconductors have successfully made the transition from the manufacturing development phase (where manual methods of material preparation and application often suffice) to full production by employing some of our automated mixing and dispensing technologies. Carl Withers, Plessey’s Assembly Development Team Leader, explained: We develop leading edge LED technologies, based on Plessey’s […]
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Thinky Mixer improves bonding processes in optical instrument manufacture
The engineers at optical instrument makers Gooch & Housego use a high specification UV cure adhesive in a military application. It is premixed with microspheres to ensure bondline thickness. However, there were problems in getting a homogeneous dispersion of microspheres in the mix – which could lead to poor fitment of the optical element and […]
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Loudspeaker bonding – two part adhesive application
Automating the precision application of two part adhesives can be tricky – you want to be able to meter and mix the adhesive and apply to the product in a simple in-line procedure. So it’s good to be able to see that this sort of thing is readily achievable. For example, the process of applying two […]
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Precision adjustable two part metering and mixing
The preeflow® eco-DUO600 offers precision metering and mixing of two component materials with mixing ratios adjustable up to 5:1. It is designed for use with two component materials such as silver loaded conductive epoxies, silicones or polyurethanes which may be dispensed in small quantities for either dots or beads. We see applications in microelectronics, medical optics, […]
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Perfection in micro dispensing!
If you need exact, precise dispensing or dosing of materials like adhesives, solvents, pastes, greases, sealants or oils, then the latest literature from preeflow will be very interesting. preeflow dispensers are based on a volumetric, positive displacement technology – read our technical article The “Endless Piston” Pump Technology for Precision Dispensing to find out more. […]
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THINKY ARV-310 video shows mixing and degassing under vacuum
New on our YouTube channel: a video from THINKY on its ARV-310 non-contact planetary mixer showing how the addition of a vacuum improves the bubble-free mixing of materials which might in the past been impossible. The THINKY ARV series combine mixing and vacuum degassing in one machine. The video depicts the mixing of LED phosphor […]
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Thinky Mixer provides rapid, one step dispersal and de-gassing
The Thinky ARE-500 mixer is the latest addition to our range of high performance industrial non-contact “planetary” mixers; suitable for all engineering compounds – liquids, pastes and powders. It mixes, disperses and degasses materials in seconds to minutes, in a sealed or lid-less container such as a jar, beaker, syringe tube or cartridge using a […]
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Intertronics recognized for Outstanding Sales Performance
We are proud to have received a Recognition Award for Outstanding Sales Performance from Thinky Corporation. The award recognizes that we have been contributing significantly to the European market expansion for Thinky since 2007. THINKY Mixers are industrial non-contact “planetary” mixers for all engineering compounds. They mix, disperse and degas your materials in seconds to […]
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Dispensing of two component thermal pastes
The job of a thermal paste is to ensure really good heat transfer between a device (e.g. microprocessor, power component) to a heat sink – perhaps through adverse conditions or large operating temperature ranges. It can only do this job if it is applied evenly and to a specified thickness, without air entrapment or material […]
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Syringe conditioning – epoxies, conductive adhesives, solder pastes, inks
THINKY Mixers are well-known for being able to mix, disperse and degas your materials in seconds to minutes, in sealed or lid-less containers, such as a jar, beaker, syringe or cartridge. Another application is the conditioning or degassing of materials in pre-filled syringes. The planetary action (revolving and rotating at high speeds) can remove air without […]
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We are exhibiting at Mediplas 2012 – medical device plastics and assembly
Next month, September 25-26, we will be exhibiting at Mediplas at the NEC, Birmingham. Mediplas is a new focused event for the highly specialised area of manufacturing plastic parts for the medical industry. The exhibition will cover all areas of the medical plastics supply chain – including design and prototyping, materials, clean room machinery (extrusion and […]
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Mixing for high SG powders like LED fluorescent additives – THINKY ARV-310LED
The THINKY ARV-310LED is a variation on our standard ARV-310 mixer. It is specifically designed for uniform dispersion of high SG materials such as fluorescent additives for LEDs, allowing mixing without settling in low viscosity silicone resins. The rotation-revolution ratio of the THINKY ARV-310LED is optimized for this purpose. When used for fluorescent materials, several […]
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Precision metering, mixing and dispensing of two part adhesive and resin systems
The preeflow® eco-DUO450 is a two-component precision volumetric, positive displacement, dosing/mixing/dispensing system that gives you accuracy and repeatability. The preeflow eco-DUO450 uses the precision dispensing technology of the preeflow eco-PEN – by integrating two eco-PENS through a manifold and a static mixing nozzle, and provides extremely precise metering, mixing and dispensing of critical two-part materials like epoxies and silicones. The preeflow® eco-DUO450 can dispense as […]
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Centrifugal THINKY twin mixer with 1 litre capacity
The THINKY ARV-930Twin has twin mixing containers, with the capacity to process a maximum one litre of materials. It is equipped with a vacuum function in order to achieve deaeration/degassing/de-foaming at the sub-micron level – so the THINKY ARV-930Twin can completely mix and degas your materials at the same time. The twin cup capacity can be […]
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Homogeneous mixing of conductive adhesives and pastes
Some materials – like silver-loaded pastes, adhesives and inks – can suffer degradation in storage. This can easily be rectified by re-mixing and degassing, quickly achieved by use of the Thinky series of planetary mixers. Particles of silver of a high specific gravity settle down during storage and are difficult to disperse evenly by manual mixing. […]
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Knowing your mix is completely homogeneous and air free
We have published a presentation which gives an introduction to the THINKY Mixing and Degassing Machines as well as the concept of planetary centrifugal mixing. THINKY Mixers are industrial non-contact “planetary” mixers for all engineering compounds. They mix, disperse and degas your materials in seconds to minutes, in a sealed or lid-less container such as […]
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Mix and degas under vacuum in seconds – remove 100 micron micro-bubbles
The THINKY ARV-310 is an industrial non-contact “planetary” mixer for all engineering compounds. The THINKY ARV-310 can mix, disperse and degas your materials in seconds to minutes, even in your own containers (jars, beakers, syringe tubes or cartridges). The non-contact mixing principle makes it possible to formulate compounds from very small amounts such as 0.5ml […]
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THINKY Mixers at mechanical processing technologies show, Germany
Mix, disperse and degas your materials in seconds – you can explore the capabilities of THINKY mixers by contacting us for a demonstration. Alternatively, they will be shown at the Powtech trade fair in Germany, October 11-13, where our fellow distributors, C3, will have a stand.
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Perfect mixing and degassing
Here is a preview of our lastest advertisement for THINKY Mixers. They mix, disperse and degas your materials in seconds to minutes, in a sealed or lid-less container such as a jar, beaker, syringe tube or cartridge. Those hard-to-mix, hard-to-degas or hard-to-wet materials can be mixed and degassed fast and effectively in a single step.
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Video explains mixing and vacuum degassing machine
We have just uploaded a new video to the THINKY Mixing and Vacuum Degassing Machines webpage. It gives a really good overview of the technology, and how these benchtop centrifugal planetary mixers give completely homogeneous, air free mixes of your technology materials.
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Special dispenser for disposable dual barrel syringes
On occasion, we are asked to help customers with special dispensing requirements – something which can’t be done with off-the-shelf equipment. The Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford were working on the generation of nonviral gene therapy formulations. They wanted a reproducible method to mix the materials from twin […]
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Video – mixing and degassing LED phosphors
We just added a video to our page about the THINKY Mixing and Vacuum Degassing Machines. It demonstrates the successful mixing and dispersion of LED phosphors into a silicone resin with absolutely no air bubbles.
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Difficult to mix pharmaceuticals and cosmetics?
Our Thinky mixers can give a proven solution to some of the most difficult mixing problems found in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. They will non-invasively mix materials from low viscosity to semi-solid or dry particle with in-situ vacuum degassing. In the field of pharmaceuticals, Thinky mixers are useful for reagent research and development, the […]
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Solder paste conditioning
If you store your solder paste in the fridge, then you need a process for getting it onto the production line and ready to use – which means it must be at room temperature and correctly mixed. The THINKY SR-500 Solder Paste Mixer and Conditioning Machine makes this process quick and foolproof. It is quick, […]
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In a spin with air free mixing
We are proud to be the centrefold in today’s Laboratory News, with an article about our range of THINKY mixers. Just like a DJ working a club – when it comes to getting the perfect mix, it’s all about how you spin… Traditional methods have served for many years but mixers built on the rotary […]
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Mixing “nano”s: nanotubes, nanofibres, nanoceramics…
In the arena of high technology and high performance materials the uniform dispersal of nano-sized particles in materials such as resin is extremely difficult work. Traditional methods have significant problems – consequently we are pleased to announce a solution in the form of the THINKY ARV-310 Mixer. The ARV-310 and its larger capacity sibling the […]
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Degassing not foaming
In support of our THINKY Mixing and Vacuum Degassing Machines, we have added a new Technical Bulletin detailing the potential advantages with adding vacuum to the rotation and revolution mixing action of our very popular THINKY ARE-250. One of the issues with manual degassing (placing the material in a chamber and applying vacuum, often multiple […]
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Mixing glass powders into resin
James Kent (Ceramic Materials) Ltd had relied for many years on a manual mixing system for their research and quality control of specialist glass powders, but embarked on a search for a process solution that would be more effective, more consistent, quicker and simpler. The glass powders produced by James Kent Ltd are tailored to […]
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Getting the gas out
Removing air bubbles from materials like epoxies and inks which you mix up yourself can be an irritation. Often some form of vacuum chamber is used to degas the mixture – it is time consuming and not easy! One of the advantages of our Thinky ARE-250 Mixer is that it does not put air into […]
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