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Planetary Mixers

Axios reported that on 25 October 2024 Israel destroyed 12 "planetary mixers" used to produce solid fuel for long-range ballistic missiles. Iran’s import of planetary mixers, particularly those designed for rocket propellant or high-viscosity applications, is subject to strict international controls due to the sensitive nature of this equipment. Planetary mixers used for solid propellants or other military applications fall under the category of dual-use goods, which means they have both civilian and military applications and are therefore regulated under various international nonproliferation agreements.

It is very different from a mixer that may be used in a kitchen, and the way it mixes is different. There are hundreds of thousands of small simple ones in the food industry, paint industry, and chemical processing used across the world. They are important for solid rocket fuel because it is important that the propellant is mixed very uniformly. If there are materials clinging to the edge of the container & differences in areas of the mix, that will lead to a non uniform burn during ignition, which can cause an explosion.

Planetary mixers for solid rocket propellant mixing are categorized as "dual-use" technology and are subject to export controls by the Wassenaar Arrangement and Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). These agreements restrict the sale of equipment that could contribute to missile development, which includes planetary mixers capable of processing solid propellants. UN, U.S., and European Union sanctions have historically restricted Iran’s ability to import dual-use technologies, especially those related to missile and nuclear capabilities. Specific licensing is generally required for companies exporting these items, and direct exports of such equipment to Iran are typically prohibited by countries that observe these sanctions.

Due to restrictions, Iran has developed a domestic capability to manufacture or modify industrial equipment, including mixers, to meet its defense and aerospace requirements. Reports suggest that Iran may produce certain machinery domestically or acquire components from countries where sanctions are less strictly enforced. Some countries or companies may supply components that can later be assembled or modified for similar purposes, though this also often occurs under scrutiny or at risk of secondary sanctions.

In the past, Iran has sometimes sourced equipment indirectly through intermediary countries or via private firms based in regions where oversight is lower. However, such transactions are often monitored internationally, with measures taken to prevent equipment from reaching Iran if there is suspicion of military use. Iran faces substantial technical and resource limitations due to these sanctions. As a result, obtaining highly specialized planetary mixers is challenging, pushing Iran to innovate domestically or adapt available industrial mixers to meet its requirements for rocket fuel production.

As per the Volza's Iran Planetary, Mixer Exporters & Suppliers directory, there are 61 active Planetary, Mixer Exporters in Iran exporting to 53 Buyers. SABA DOCHARKH CO accounted for maximum export market share with 12 shipments followed by BAZARGANI SETARE ROSHAN with 4 and FARAB CO at the 3rd spot with 3 shipments. These facts are updated till 2 July 2024, and are based on Volza's Iran Exporters & Suppliers directory of Planetary, Mixer, sourced from 70 countries export import shipments. But these are restaurant items, not for weapons production,

Decker Eveleth reported "Industrial mixers of the sort used in the production of solid rocket motor propellant are large, complicated, and export controlled. Iran imported mixers from Europe in violation of sanctions, and such items will be very difficult to replace."

While Iran’s official records or details about its imports of planetary mixers are typically not public due to the sensitive nature of this equipment, the country continues to advance its aerospace and missile technology largely through domestic innovation and self-reliance under the constraints of international sanctions.

Conventional rocket propulsion systems to propel missiles have performance limitations imposed by a number of factors including a requirement to transport a required amount of oxidizer. For a given take-off mass this results in shorter range powered flights or reduced payloads relative to systems like ramjets and scramjets which obtain the oxidizer from atmospheric air. Most missiles today employ solid rocket propellants that contain an intimate mixture of fuel and oxidizer chemicals which when ignited produce a highly energetic stream of gas used effectively for propulsion. Liquid bi-propellant rocket systems separate the fuel and oxidiser until injected into the rocket motor but have a risk of leakage and fire if the tanks are breached by accident or enemy action. Accidental ignition of the propellant)s) that can cause severe hazards for the user of the weapon.

A solid propellant uses a solid fuel and a solid oxidizer, and has a simple structure and a small number of parts. In particular, since a moving part is not required in an engine, high reliability can be easily obtained. , Easy to handle, can be stored for a long time with propellant loaded, can be fired immediately, can easily obtain a large initial acceleration because it can easily obtain a large thrust compared to the weight of the rocket, and small ones are liquid A larger mass ratio than a rocket engine, relatively easy development and low production costs.

Solid rocket motor propellants are widely used in a variety of aerospace applications, such as launch vehicles for satellites and spacecraft. Solid propellants have many advantages over liquid propellants for these applications because of their good performance characteristics, ease of formulation, ease and safety of use, and the simplicity of design of the solid fueled rocket motor when compared to the liquid fueled rocket motor.

The solid propellant is obtained by mixing an oxidizing agent component, a binder, which is a fuel component, and an appropriate auxiliary agent if necessary. The compositions comprise a homogeneous mixture of predetermined stoichiometry, suitable for use in a solid rocket propellant, of metallic particles and solid oxidizer wherein individual metallic particles are generally uniformly distributed throughout a solid oxidizer matrix.

The conventional solid propellant typically consists of an organic or inorganic solid oxidizing agent, a solid metallic fuel, a liquid polymeric binder, and a curing agent for the binder. Additional components for improving the properties of the propellant, i.e., processability, curability, mechanical strength, stability, and burning characteristics, may also be present. These additives may include bonding agents, plasticizers, cure catalysts, burn rate catalysts, and other similar materials. The solid propellant is typically prepared by mechanical mixing of the oxidizer and metallic fuel particles, followed by addition of the binder and curing agent with additional mixing. The resulting mixture is then poured or vacuum cast into the motor casing and cured to a solid mass.

Oxidizing agents include ammonium perchlorate (AP), ammonium nitrate (AN), nitronium perchlorate (NP), It is also possible to include a small amount or an appropriate amount of potassium perchlorate (KP), cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX), cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine (HMX), or the like. As the binder (cumulative binder), which is a fuel component to be mixed with such an oxidizing agent component, it is possible to select from various hydrocarbon polymers or rubber materials and use it appropriately. However, for example, polysulfide (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane (PU), polyester (PE), terminal carboxyl group polybutadiene (CTPB), terminal hydroxyl group polybutadiene (HTPB), glycidyl azide A polymer (GAP) or the like can be used.

The solid propellant formulations most widely used today contain as key ingredients aluminum (Al) particles as the metal fuel and ammonium perchlorate (AP) particles as the oxidizer. The Al and AP particles are held together by a binder, which is also a fuel, albeit one of substantially less energetic content than the metal. The most commonly used binder comprises hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB). This particular type of propellant formulation is favored for its ease of manufacture and handling, good performance characteristics, reliability and cost-effectiveness.

The relative amounts of the components in this formulation are chemically stoichiometric. In other words, there should be just enough oxidizer molecules present in the formulation to completely react with all the fuel molecules that are present, with no excess of either oxidizer or fuel. This formulation contains one oxidizer (AP) and two distinct fuels, i.e., Al and binder. The weight ratio of AP to Al for a stoichiometric mixture, i.e., no excess oxidizer or fuel, is 42:19. The weight ratio of ammonium perchlorate to binder for a stoichiometric mixture is 26:12. These ratios are the same regardless of any other components that may be present in the mixture.

Because of their burn characteristics, conventional Al/AP propellants are most suitable for use in conjunction with a particular motor design. This design is the hollow core or center perforated (CP) core motor design in which the propellant grain is formed with its outer surface bonded to the inside of the rocket motor's casing with a hollow core extending through most or all of the length of the grain. The burning front progresses outwardly from the core to the case. This motor design is bar far the most common design for solid fuel motors.

The propellant grain in a CP design must have substantial structural integrity to keep the grain intact during operation. A binder is therefore used to “glue” the particulate components of the propellant together. During the initial mixing of the propellant, the percentage of the binder, initially in the form of a liquid resin, is high enough to maintain a relatively low viscosity, such that the propellant is in a slurry form, allowing the propellant mixture to be poured or injected into the motor casing. A mandrel is placed in the middle of the motor casing to create the hollow core (typically before the propellant is poured into the core) and is removed once the propellant has cured.

A mixer is a machine in which a shaft with blades rotates in a cylinder or tank to blend and mix a plurality of materials into a mixture or a suitable consistency. The stirring machines are divided into various types, such as a forced stirring machine, a single horizontal shaft stirring machine, a double horizontal shaft stirring machine and the like. For mixing the equipment mainly planetary and trough-type mixture machine of material of sticky shape, the mixture homogeneity of planetary-type mixer is much better than trough type mixing machine, the mixed cylinder of existing planetary stirring machine is all the bulk containers having the fixing end, top-open, cylinder bottom and casing wall are welded into an entirety, mixed cylinder of this fixing end is comparatively large for thick solid material discharging difficulty, is a technical barrier of sticky material mix and blend operation for a long time.

The processing technology of material stirring all has and relates in all trades and professions, especially in chemical industry or food service industry, the Mixing Machine traditional for the larger material of some viscosityes cannot meet its well-beaten user demand, therefore need to adopt the agitating device that performance is more excellent to process.And planetary mixer is a kind of novel, multi-functional homogeneous mixer, it adopts paddle rotation and the mode of revolution combination to stir material, its to the mixing effect of sticky material obviously due to the mixing plant of conventional helical structure. Spiral mixers from Hobart for commercial kitchen use feature a bowl that rotates in both directions as the spiral hook kneads the dough. This keeps the dough at a lower temperature and provides consistent production. It also allows to mix less than 10% of the unit’s capacity — very small to very large batches with the same machine.

The term “planetary mixer” refers to an equipment that can be used to mix or blend different materials for producing a homogeneous mixture, which consists of a single or double blade with a high speed dispersion blade. The rotational speed can be expressed in unit of rotations per minute (rpm) which refers to the number of rotations that a rotating body completes in one minute.

The planetary mixer is a new type high-efficiency mixing and stirring equipment without dead point, it has unique and novel stirring form, in the interior of the kettle two or three multilayer blade stirrers and 1-2 automatic scrapers are set, and the stirrers can be revolved around the axis of the kettle body, and at the same time, they can be rotated at high speed around their own axis at different rotating speeds, so that the material can be made into complex movement in the kettle body.

The traditional planetary mixer is mostly composed of two low-speed stirring paddles, which is also called as a double-planetary mixer, but with the improvement of the demand, other mixers such as various dispersing blades, emulsifiers and the like are added into the planetary mixer, so that the multifunctional application is increased, and the application range is expanded. At present mixer is mostly open type structure, splashes easily everywhere at stirring in-process material, and factor of safety is lower, and the (mixing) shaft leads to the stirring inhomogeneous owing to can only fix a position stirring moreover, and stirring effect is relatively poor.

Planetary mixers have a single motor and a stationary bowl. They come in smaller countertop versions and larger floor-standing models and are among the most popular mixers for commercial kitchens. As the name implies, planetary mixers feature an agitator that moves around the bowl like a planet. Planetary mixers are very versatile. Planetary mixers designed specifically for pizza dough provide more torque for heavier mixing jobs. Plus, there are options for commercial kitchens that need a mixer for multiple applications, limited batch use and shorter periods of mixing. Whips, beaters, dough hooks, mixing paddles, whisks and pastry knives are common agitators used with planetary mixers. Available attachments increase the versatility of planetary mixers, with options for slicing vegetables, chopping meat or grating cheese.

In certain embodiments, the rotational speed of the planetary blade is from about 20 rpm to about 200 rpm and rotational speed of the dispersion blade is from about 1,000 rpm to about 3,500 rpm. In further embodiments, the rotational speed of the planetary blade is from about 20 rpm to about 150 rpm or from about 30 rpm to about 100 rpm, and rotational speed of the dispersion blade is from about 1,000 rpm to about 3,000 rpm or from about 1,500 rpm to about 2,500 rpm.

A planetary mixer for solid rocket propellant is a specialized industrial mixing device that produces homogenous, high-quality propellant by combining binders, fuels, oxidizers, and other additives under controlled conditions. The planetary mixer has unique features to ensure proper distribution of these dense and often hazardous materials. They feature heavy-duty construction, designed with robust materials to handle highly viscous and abrasive propellant ingredients, ensuring durability and operator safety. Variable speed control allows for adjustments in mixing speed to optimize the blend depending on the stage of mixing or viscosity changes.

A Planetary Mixer for Solid Rocket Propellants may feature Dual or Triple Mixing Arms, equipped with multiple mixing arms that rotate both around their axis and around the central mixing bowl, ensuring thorough and uniform blending. Planetary mixers typically feature two or more blades that revolve around their own axes while simultaneously orbiting the center of the mixing vessel. This double motion ensures that all material inside the chamber is subjected to intensive shear forces, necessary for blending the dense mixture uniformly.

Temperature Control includes cooling and heating systems to maintain safe and optimal temperatures during mixing, as these materials can be sensitive to heat. The mixing chamber is often jacketed to allow temperature control with circulating heated or cooled fluid. This helps maintain a consistent temperature, reducing the risk of accidental ignition due to frictional heating. Temperature sensors monitor both the internal and external conditions of the chamber. Some mixers integrate alarms and automated shutdown systems to prevent overheating. The process can be configured with intervals for cooling between mixing phases to manage heat accumulation and sustain safe operation over extended mixing times.

Vacuum Mixing removes air bubbles and reduces voids in the propellant, which is critical for consistency and stability. Vacuum mixing reduces air entrapment in the propellant, which is crucial as air bubbles can compromise structural integrity and combustion consistency. The vacuum system often operates throughout the mixing process, maintaining a stable, low-pressure environment. As ingredients like binder and fuel are mixed under vacuum, the mixer helps release entrained air or other volatiles, improving density and stability.

Blades are often contoured or helical to optimize the transfer of shear forces, enhance mixing efficiency, and reduce dead zones in the mixing bowl. Some blades are Teflon-coated or have anti-stick surfaces to prevent adhesion of materials. Mixing solid rocket propellants involves hazardous materials, so planetary mixers designed for this purpose are often equipped with explosion-proof motors, safety interlocks, and reinforced containment systems. The mixer’s containment vessel is sealed and reinforced to prevent any reaction from escaping in case of ignition. Explosion-proof gaskets and seals are typically employed. Motors are often shielded or isolated from the main chamber, and electrical components are rated to withstand potential explosive conditions, often classified to stringent standards.

Many mixers use Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Systems to manage mixing speeds, vacuum levels, temperature, and other parameters. These controllers can store multiple recipes and adjust settings automatically based on material conditions or mixing stage. Safety Interlocks prevent the system from operating unless all conditions are met (e.g., vacuum level, correct temperature, secure lid). This reduces human error and enhances safety.

For more complex formulations, the mixer allows ingredients to be added sequentially during the mixing process. This helps prevent certain reactions or allows intermediate materials to form before adding the next component. Automated systems can add ingredients at precise intervals or quantities, supporting uniformity and reducing manual handling risks. These mixers are extensively used in the production of cast-cure solid propellants and other high-viscosity rocket fuels. They support high consistency in the particle distribution, ensuring optimal burn rates and performance in the final rocket motor.

A planetary mixer is an industrial mixer famous for its fast mix time and aggressive mixing action. It produces a unique ‘counter current’ motion that results in a quality homogeneous mix. When a solid propellant having a desired shape is obtained by mixing hydroxylammonium nitrate, which is an oxidizing agent component, and a polyester, which is a combustion component, with a binder, and forming the solid propellant in a desired shape, the desired shape is obtained as a solid, not a liquid will be maintained.

Prescott Vertical Mixers are influential for propulsion, ammunition, pyrotechnic and energetic manufacturing. Prescott Vertical Mixers are all ASME or CE certified and constructed. The Planetary Vertical Mixers are designed first and foremost with the client’s safety in mind at all times. All Prescott Vertical Mixers encompass a twofold blade kneading action. The kneading process guarantees batch integration, while eliminating the unresponsive mixing spots within the bowl. The Planetary Mixers are driven with a hydraulic drive or an electrical explosion proof motor. The mixing bowls are designed to be jacketed for thermal heating or cooling and are inter-changeable, allowing for perpetual process batch mixing.

Hundreds of B&P Littleford mixing systems are at work worldwide mixing energetics materials and manufacturing munitions, propellants, explosives, and pyrotechnics. These machines have delivered unparalleled safety and industry-leading longevity, and reliability. B&P Littleford's primary systems for energetics are our dual planetary vertical mixers. These systems incorporate a unique design with both blades mounted off-center to ensure complete mixing with no dead spots or hot spots, and for the highest standards of safety.

The B&P Littleford Vertical Planetary Batch Mixer includes blades that rotate on their own axes, while orbiting the mix vessel on a common axis. A unique blade design continuously advances along the periphery of the bowl, removing material from the wall and transporting it to the interior for mixing. After one revolution the blades pass through the entire bowl, after three revolutions the bulk of the material is mixed, and after only 36 revolutions, the blades contact and virtually mix the entire batch resulting in a homogeneous mixture.

This mixer was specifically designed to handle the processing of energetics materials in a safe manner. It has been engineered to have an ample amount of power, pull a full atmosphere of vacuum without contaminating seals or pulling lube oil into the mix, and achieve full mix in a very short amount of time. B&P Littleford’s extensive experience with the energetics industry clearly indicated adapting an existing mixer would never be good enough – this mixing machine was created for energetics from the ground up.

One of the largest propellant mixers ever built, the Regal Rocket Propellant Mixer (J.H. Day 1,800 gallon) was built. The Regal stands 38 feet high and weighs over 160,000 pounds. It is driven with a 400 horsepower motor.

Anduril Industries announced 03 October 2024 a partnership with FlackTek, a global leader in high-velocity bladeless mixing and processing solutions, to develop and manufacture the world’s most advanced mixing machine — the Mega FlackTek, also known as “The GOAT” — in Boulder, CO. This groundbreaking bladeless dual asymmetric centrifugal mixer, the only one of its kind globally, surpasses conventional planetary mixers by enabling multi-hundred-kilo batch processing in twin drum-style containers comparable to 55-gallon industrial drums.

Anduril has a demonstrated track record of success using previously existing FlackTek mixers since 2020, and has years of experience and extensive knowledge in the use of dual asymmetric centrifugal mixing for solid rocket propellant across its contracted programs. The new mixer’s size, speed, and efficiency will make it the heart of Anduril’s rocket propellant production capability that capitalizes on Anduril’s other advancements in rocket motor fabrication, all at a fraction of the footprint and labor requirements of more traditional facilities.

This larger and more advanced dual asymmetric centrifugal machine will power a more than ten-fold increase in Anduril’s production throughput, which amounts to a more than 24x increase in production throughput when compared to conventional planetary mixers of a similar size. For most tactical rocket propellants, the new mixer will match the throughput of a traditional 500-gallon bladed mixer and will exceed that throughput for particularly high-performance formulations that typically take longer to mix. FlackTek machinery also provides exceptional repeatability, minimizes waste, and ensures safer working environments through enhanced safety features, consistent processing, and minimized exposure to energetic material hazards.