A Containment Blending Overview

The concept is simple. The same Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) that is used for shipping and storage is also used for blending. A typical tumbler/blender consists of a cradle and a pedestal support. The cradle is the structure that holds and rotates the entire IBC. The cradle is either single or tandem supported by a pedestal base and is skewed l5° to 30° on the rotational axis. This arrangement holds the IBC level with the floor for loading and produces the blending angles required by the IBC during rotation. This angle puts the straight wall sections at continuously changing opposing angles throughout the revolution. This action produces a cross-flow effect that homogenizes the batch.

The majority of tumble/blenders in use today are stand-alone units that are loaded by means of a fork truck. A small but growing percentage of units load the IBC's from floor level by a pallet jack or are wheeled into the unit if the IBC is mounted on casters.