Proven Solution: Conforma Clad™ - Improve the Life of High-Intensity Mixing Blades

Conforma Clad is a uniquely layered coating that incorporates a brazing process that combines the hardness of tungsten carbide with the corrosion resistance of nickel-alloy matrix to create a protective barrier to protect equipment from abrasion, erosion, or corrosion. Due to the metallurgical bond, this Kennametal cladding is extremely resilient to chipping, cracking, and flaking.

High-intensity mixers with blades need to be robust, durable, and capable of handling abrasive materials effectively. They can be used for mild or heavier applications, depending on the particle size requirements and materials being processed. Each mixer can incorporate different parts to suit specific applications.

Here are some types of mixers and their descriptions that are commonly used for handling abrasive substances:

• Mixer blades, also known as paddle mixers, are often used for mixing, blending, and pushing abrasive materials together. They are generally employed in dry mixing processes and can handle abrasive substances effectively.
• Double planetary mixers feature two blades that rotate on their own axes and around the mixing area. They are often used for highly viscous and abrasive materials, providing thorough mixing and uniform dispersion.
• High-shear mixers use high-speed rotating blades to break down particles and blend abrasive materials. They commonly mix materials that do not blend easily.

There are several other types of mixers with blades including ones that feature welded arms and bolted paddles or bolted arms with bolted paddles. Both can be replaced when the blades are worn or reveal any other types of damage. However, the replacement of these blades can be difficult. Applying the Kennametal Conforma Clad to these blades will minimize blade changes and allow the mixers to operate longer.

A customer that uses the incumbent blades has been seeing breakage due to erosion and impact wear after 45 days when using the blades to blend iron ore fines with a binder to create a feed stock and produce pellets. The customer’s goal is to improve the life of their blades and reduce carbide breakage.

That’s where our experts had a chance to provide the customer with Kennametal’s Conforma Clad coated mixing blades with a tungsten carbide tip to prove we can provide better results. Our mixing blades feature the Conforma Clad coating layered over the carbide end to protect the steel base.

The Conforma Clad mixer blades lasted for 4 months compared to the standard blades the customer was using. Not only did the blades last longer when mixing iron ore fines, but they also increased the efficiency of the mixer, and reduced the amount of downtime and cost per blade.

 Kennametal should be able to substantiate this claim.  This is a performance claim that should have objective support.  As this is a claim of superiority, it requires proof that the Conforma Clad mixer blades performed better than the standard blades.  To substantiate the “lasted for 4 months” language, it is required that this level of performance must be obtainable by an “appreciable number” of consumers under circumstances normally and expectably encountered by the consumers.