HMJ tech has released the HMJ-50 Smart Scale system and all-new Shadow Pail Mixer to meet high expectations for efficiency, hygiene and ease of use. The Shadow Pail Mixer is designed for a paradigm shift that addresses problems with open-impeller mixers. The robust stainless steel frame gives a sturdy and commanding feel, while the balanced head provides smooth and quiet movement from the parked to operating position and back again with convenient, one-hand operation.

“As machine designers and industry safety specialists, we’ve always been a bit baffled by open impeller mixers since they contravene the OSHA and CSA codes. So we designed our new pail mixer to be a self-contained guard when in the operating position,” explains Matthew Smith, HMJ tech’s resident fluids engineer and company co-founder. “The guards and pneumatic safety sensors are seamlessly integrated into a compact unit that adds to the operator’s experience, rather than just getting in the way like so many other industrial guarding solutions. Centered impellers tend to swirl and aerate the product. By offsetting the impeller centerline from the pail centerline, we created interfering flow patterns to keep the product in the pail and provide extremely efficient mixing. This proprietary approach delivers faster mixing using less energy, aeration and pail wetting. It’s an ideal fit for media with a wide range of viscosity and other fluid characteristics.”

After mixing is complete, the impeller assembly parks neatly over a removable drip cup. Smith says this guarantees that media will never land on the floor or on a mixer’s frame components and explains why this is an important factor. “In order for a batch of ink to be on specification, it needs to stay in the pail, get mixed properly and be kept far away from contaminates. That’s why we have included a 100% lubrication free system for both the frame bushings and the pneumatic control system. It’s as simple as hooking up your mixer to clean, dry air and start mixing.”

The new HMJ-50 Smart Scale system is a robust system that combines an all-in-one touchscreen computer with an industrial weighing platform and HMJ’s full-featured dispense software. The diminutive footprint boasts a commanding presence in the ink room. The all-stainless steel console comes fully connected and configured for quick and easy setup, says Jonathan Smith, director of operations and company co-founder. “This is definitely not your average weighing station. It’s a smart scale that’s actually designed for industrial use. The console arrangement really lets you get organized by keeping all the components tied together neatly and all the cords safely hidden within the unit. It’s a versatile machine for any manual weighing job and quickly adjusts for different table heights and target containers.”

Jonathan Smith says the patent-pending guide rail is a unique addition, since it helps the operator precisely pour into and from containers of all shapes and sizes. “The adjustable guide bar doesn’t just help support heavy pails, it helps to keep your source container located without bumping or missing the target. This lets you focus on the screen to monitor the dispense process. Our empirical testing has shown over and over again that the guide bar system will let the operator achieve dispense precision up to five times better when compared to free-hand pouring. It’s proven to work really well for very small dispensing jobs. That’s why we opted to include the funnel attachment that lets the operator use standard, 10 oz. paper funnels to precisely dispense into the smallest cups and jugs, with no errors or spills.”