An idea hatched during an engineering class at the University of Wisconsin–Madison promises to reduce waste in a common industrial mixing process. Epoxy and hardener, which must be mixed just before application, are used in a broad range of industries, including construction, manufacturing — even dentistry.
These epoxies are blended in a “static mixing” nozzle — so named because it has no moving parts, says Eric Ronning, CEO of Re Mixers Inc., which was incorporated Dec. 27, 2016.
Upwards of 70 million static mixing nozzles are sold in the United States every year because epoxy quickly sets inside the nozzle and plugs it. The nozzle technology has changed little since the 1970s, Ronning says.
Ronning had his “eureka” moment while listening to Professor Tim Osswald discuss the shortcomings of static mixers in a class on plastics at UW–Madison. Read the full story here.
;
