WORKING

Manufacturing vessel is cylindrical vessels with Hemispherical bottom vessels. Ointments are manufactured by simple slow blending in a stirred vessel. The vessel is jacketed for heating. The Ointment manufacturing plant vessels are normally closed type and subjected to vacuum to avoid excessive foaming when foaming agent is added. For best results contra type rotating stirrer is best used for Ointment manufacturing. CIP/ SIP nozzles is provided at the top of the vessel for cleaning. Suitable nozzles, manholes, valves etc are provided on the vessel. Manufacturing vessel can be subjected to full vacuum.

Ingredients are weighed or metered incrementally into the mixing vessel, with thorough mixing between each addition. A moderate amount of heat is used to reduce the viscosity and so facilitate ease of mixing. Some pearlising agents are waxy solids at ambient temperature and require melting in a premixing vessels before use. Demineralized water is most commonly used in order to minimise contamination of the product. No further processing is required after blending, & perfuming and the product may be packed off directly from the mixing vessel. Or may be transferred to storage vessels from where they are transferred to the filling machines.

EMULSIFYING

To creat a stable emulsion by obtaining the finest possible droplet size, more the shear energy introduced into the mixing, the smaller the suspended droplets would be, creating a fine stable emulsion.

The high shear rotor/stator design is ideally suited to this application and can easily achieve emulsions with a droplet size of 2 to 5 microns. Finer emulsions down to 0.5 microns can be obtained, depending on the formulation. In many cases, this can eliminate the need for high pressure homogenizers.

Where a high pressure homogenizer must be used, premixing the emulsion with a In-Line Homogenizer prior to the high pressure homogenizer will allow the product to pass through at a much higher rate, since homogenizers work more efficiently when fed with a premix of the emulsion with uniform and fine droplet size.

BOTTOM MIXERS

Usually called "high-shear mixers", are the most common form of Dispersing/Homogenizing/ Emulsifying mixer. By placing a form of closely-fitting shroud around a high-speed impeller, it is possible to create a shearing action between the blades and stator shroud. As material is centrifugally pumped through the mixing head, some of it will see this high shear zone and experience shear stressing that results in dispersive mixing. Where small or uniform dispersions are required, material must be cycled through the head many times to ensure statistically that all of the material has passed through the high shear zone at leaston.

PREMIXING VESSEL (wax & water)

Premixing vessel is cylindrical vessels with dished bottom vessels. Top of the vessel is also dished end welded or can be provided with loose lid too. Agitator assembly in the premix vessel. Is high speed cowl/ saw cutter type agitator. In some cases high speed homogenizer are also provided. CIP/ SIP nozzles is provided at the top of the vessel for cleaning. Suitable nozzles, manholes, valves etc are provided on the vessel. Vessel is provided with jacket for heating. Jacket can be steam heated or electrically heated as per client’s requirement. Suitable insulation and cladding is provided on the jacket. There is no need for any vacuum in this vessel. Normally the capacity of this vessel is 60 % the capcity of the main manufacturing vessel. Premix vessels can be 1 no or 2 nos as per the clients requirements and formulae of the Ointment.

STORAGE VESSEL

Storage vessel is simple vessel used to store Ointments. It is cylindrical type of vessel with dished bottom, loose top lid. Bottom valve is provided with din fittings to facilitate the pipeline connection. Its capacity is the same as the manufacturing vessel. Normally storage tanks are more in number so that different types of Ointments can be manufactured and stored.

LOBE PUMPS

Lobe pump are similar to external gear pumps in operation in that fluid flows around the interior of the casing. Unlike external gear pumps, however, the lobes do not make contact. Lobe contact is prevented by external timing gears located in the gearbox. Pump shaft support bearings are located in the gearbox, and since the bearings are out of the pumped liquid, pressure is limited by bearing location and shaft deflection.

As the lobes come out of mesh, they create expanding volume on the inlet side of the pump. Liquid flows into the cavity and is trapped by the lobes as they rotate. Liquid travels around the interior of the casing in the pockets between the lobes and the casing -- it does not pass between the lobes. Finally, the meshing of the lobes forces liquid through the outlet port under pressure. Lobe pump are frequently used in food applications because they handle solids without damaging the product. Particle size pumped can be much larger in lobe pump than in other PD types. Since the lobes do not make contact, and clearances are not as close as in other PD pumps, this design handles low viscosity liquids with diminished performance. Loading characteristics are not as good as other designs, and suction ability is low. High-viscosity liquids require reduced speeds to achieve satisfactory performance. Reductions of 25% of rated speed and lower are common with high-viscosity liquids.

KEY COMPONENTS AND FEATURES

• Mixing Vessel : A cylindrical vessel with a hemispherical or dished bottom, used for mixing and heating ingredients.
• Heating and Cooling System : Steam or electric heating for the wax phase vessel, and cooling for the manufacturing vessel.
• Homogenizer : A high-speed homogenizer for fine distribution of ingredients.
• Agitator : A stirrer with Teflon scrapers for cleaning the vessel walls.
• Vacuum System : Used for transferring materials and ensuring cleanliness.
• Transfer Pump : For transferring materials between vessels.
• Control Panel : Displays temperature, time, and other parameters, and controls the process.
• Sanitary Design :  Contact parts are typically made of 316L stainless steel, and non-contact parts of 304 stainless steel.
• Automation : Many plants offer automated features for batch weighing, cleaning, and other operations.
• Customization : Many manufacturers offer customization options for batch size, automation levels, and specific features.