Applications & Design on Bottom Entry Mills
These mills are excellent for dispersions, emulsions, mixing, blending and homogenizing. By using energy transfer in the form of shear, impact and impingement—our mills are able to effectively disperse solid materials throughout a liquid in an even, uniform fashion. Our bottom entry mills can also be manufactured for applications requiring vacuum or pressure.
- One of the main components of our dispersion unit is the rotor. The function of the rotor is to provide the force that accelerates the solid particles into the liquid. This violent action is what deagglomerates and breaks up the particles. The particles are forced into the stator wall, broken apart and become mixed after impact. This action is much like throwing a snowball against a brick wall.
- The stator is what provides the barrier for high impact that is crucial to this process. The stator surrounds the rotor and is configured with slots that provide surface impact area and work to ensure all materials are aggressively mixed.
- In addition to the rotor, our dispersion units have two propellers: one on top of the rotor and one under the rotor. These props serve to create additional flow within the vessel and to force the materials into the rotor repeatedly to create a fine dispersion. These propellers can be modified according to the application or specifications of our customers’ application.
- Propellers come in a few different shapes from flat to marine style; each design caters to a unique flow pattern.
- Lastly, head plates fit snugly against the top and bottom of the stator and act to sandwich the slots thus concentrating the force of the material through the slot only and to help avoid "spill-over".
Design And Engineering Support
KADY engineers work directly with your team to translate process goals into top or bottom-entry mill configurations that deliver consistent results. We provide CAD reviews, material-compatibility guidance, and process modeling to recommend rotor, stator, propeller, and head-plate arrangements that optimize shear, impact, and impingement for your formulation. Early engineering includes suggested mill type, slot geometry, and rotor stator clearances to balance throughput and particle-size targets while avoiding spill-over and dead zones.
Customization And Vessel Integration
Bottom-entry mills are often fitted into existing tanks or supplied with matched vessels built to KADY tolerances. We supply custom shaft lengths, flange patterns, and tank-adaptation kits so mills fit your piping, footprint, and structural requirements. Options include vacuum or pressurizable designs, seismic-rated supports, and explosion-mitigation features. These customizations reduce retrofit complexity, limit civil work, and speed commissioning.
Dispersion Technology and Process Optimization
The rotor-stator interface defines dispersion performance. KADY optimizes rotor slot tangency, rotor/stator clearance, and propeller feed patterns to force solids repeatedly into high-shear zones for aggressive mixing and deagglomeration. Upper and lower propellers are selected to create positive feed to the rotor across a range of viscosities and solids loadings. We tailor energy input and staging for pigment dispersions, emulsions, homogenization, or high solids slurries to deliver the particle size and throughput your process requires.
Installation, Commissioning, And Performance Validation
We support installation, mechanical alignment, and electrical integration to verify the mill and tank operate together as intended. Commissioning includes rotor/stator clearance checks, vibration and temperature monitoring, and first-batch trials to confirm dispersion targets. Baseline performance data and start-up protocols are provided so operators can reproduce results and troubleshoot quickly when process variables change.
Maintenance, Spare Parts, And Life-Cycle Upgrades
Planned maintenance and access to consumable parts extend uptime and lower life cycle cost. KADY supplies spare rotors, stators, head plates, propeller options, and wear-part reman services. Upgrade paths include hardened or coated rotors for abrasive media, alternative stator alloys for corrosion resistance, and horsepower or drive-train retrofits to increase throughput as your production needs grow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Difference Between Bottom Entry and Top Entry Mills?
Bottom-entry mills introduce concentrated shear, impact and circulation from beneath the vessel, improving feed and retention for high-solids or continuous-processing applications. These mills are ideal for vacuum and pressure applications while top-entry mills have the flexibility of raising the dispersion unit in/out of the vessel for ease of cleaning. Top entry mills are also useful for servicing multiple clean and process tanks.
How Do I Choose the Right Model for My Batch Volume and Solids Loading?
Select a model whose recommended operating volume overlaps your typical batch size and whose energy input accommodate the shear level and batch flow required for your solids and viscosity; request an engineering review and lab trial to validate the selection.
Can Bottom Entry Mills Be Designed for Vacuum or Pressure Operation?
Yes, KADY designs mills and tanks to handle vacuum and pressurization when your process requires low pressure degassing or sealed, pressurized processing.
What Maintenance Intervals Should I Plan for Consumable Parts?
Maintenance intervals depend on media abrasiveness, operating hours, and RPM; KADY provides wear-part life estimates based on your formulation and can supply spares to minimize downtime.
If you are unsure of which model will best suit your application, our knowledgeable engineers are happy to work with you to make certain the Kady Mill is the appropriate machine for your process application. We will even test your materials in our lab which takes the guesswork out of mill specification. Whether you are emulsifying, homogenizing, milling, cooking, mixing, dispersing, or another application, KADY International has the knowledge and well over 60 years of experience in the industry; you can count on us to provide a tailor made solution for you.