COVID-19 has showed the world the importance of preparedness and the need to produce faster. I am of course speaking on the subject of hand sanitizer. The demand for the product has quickly increased overnight. We now must have the ability to produce large quantities FAST and efficiently. Manufacturers are faced with the challenge of new players are entering the landscape every day who see this demand. In order to compete on the same level or higher, manufacturers will need to consider a new approach that strays away from the old batch mixing technique and redirect their focus on inline blending.
Is Inline Blending Better Approach To Manufacturing?
The largest barrier to adopting a more streamlined and efficient process in the Home & Personal Care industry is a fear of moving away from what seems to be the easiest method. The batch mentality here really stands in the way. With a batch process, you fill ingredients one by one into a tank, mix, transfer out, repeat. A second tank, at high cost and consuming more floor space, will typically be added so one batch is made while the other is being consumed. Batch mixing is:
- Slow and clunky because it entails use of large
- Space-consuming due to large tanks
- Requires a lot of transfer times in and out
- Labor intensive
- Uses mixing and agitation that is not directly scalable
- equires loads of mechanical horsepower
An inline blending skid will consist of several PD pumps and mass flow meters to accurately meter ethanol (or other alcohol), water, glycol, thickeners, like carbomer, and fragrance from source into a common artery with static mixer elements of certain design. A customized TechBlend multiple-feed inline blending skid that draws raw materials from bulk or totes and meters them at proper ratio to a hold tank near the filling line is the best way to make more product faster.
The idea is to capitalize on drawing from bulk and establish ingredient ratios inline using mass flow meter technology. The inline processing approach provides big improvements such as:
- Eliminate large and costly batch tanks
- Reduce Fire Code issues by reducing volume of alcohol inside the factory
- Eliminate multiple transfer times
- Reduce labor involvement
- Reduce weigh and transfer errors
- Reduce factory floor space required
- Make more product faster
Lab Testing Provides Process Guarantee!
So far, we have worked with thin viscosity spray sanitizers and the more traditional gel-like formulations. The thin spray bottle type is quite simple to make and uses 5 or less ingredients. Designing a skidded inline processing system for this formulation was quite simple and the inline mixing can be accomplished in a number of ways. The more viscous gel formulations required some lab testing on our part to confirm the type of mixing that would be required to form the gel and not over shear it. In both cases, our lab testing service was essential to assisting with process and system design. Other skid suppliers rely on their customers to develop a process flow diagram and a P&ID system design.
We feel this is the best way to manufacture hand sanitizer. Start with a process guarantee in the lab and end with a cost effective solution that reduces reduces fire code issues, reduces process cycle times and saves on labor costs.
