Sharpe Mixers offers a wide variety of coating options to meet our customer’s requirements for corrosion or abrasion resistant shaft/impeller assemblies.  Some examples of available coatings are Halar™, Kynar™, Teflon™, PVC, and both natural and synthetic rubbers of many different varieties. Most customers know which coatings have the best corrosion or abrasion resistance to their products and have specific coating requirements that are included with their request for quotation or specifications. If a customer is not sure which coating is appropriate for their application, Sharpe Mixers can provide information on the various coating options to assist the customer in determining the best selection.  Since coating usually requires that the impeller(s) be welded to the shaft, attention must be paid to the installation of the assembly into the tank.  Sharpe Mixers’ engineers can assist in determining if the tank’s man way is large enough to install the shaft/impeller assembly.  Attention must also be paid to obstructions around the tank that may make the installation difficult.  Sharpe Mixers guarantees that the coating provided meets the customer’s specifications and is free of defects.  In addition, we always takes special care to crate or package our coated shaft/impeller assemblies in such a manner as to avoid damage in shipment.  As with exotic alloys, the cost of coating a shaft/impeller assembly can vary greatly depending on the type and size of the equipment and the specific coating required for the application.  However, coatings can be a cost effective alternative to using an exotic alloy in many cases (especially for smaller mixers).  Coating typically adds two to four weeks to a normal fabrication schedule.

Sharpe Mixers has the experience and expertise to meet the polishing requirements of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and food industries as well as other applications in the chemical industry.  We offer a pre-engineered line of USDA approved portable mixers that include all welded shaft/impeller assemblies with a #4 polish (approximately 100 grit) standard.  Sharpe Mixers has the ability to polish shafts, impellers, mounting surfaces to below 5 Ra (microinch).  The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries the typically require a finish in the 15 Ra to 25 Ra range.  The polishing is done without rouge or buffing compounds that may contaminate the customer’s product.  Sharpe Mixers also has the equipment to test the surface roughness to assure that the customer’s polishing specifications have been met.  Polishing can add significant cost to a mixer due to the labor intensive nature of the process.  Customers are encouraged to give careful consideration to the degree of polishing necessary versus the addition costs required to reach the finer levels of surface finish.  Sharpe Mixers takes great care in the handling of all polished components to avoid damage to the surface finish and has developed special packaging and crating to minimize the possibility of damage during shipment. Polishing typically adds three to four weeks to a normal fabrication schedule.

Sharpe Mixers also offers electropolishing for almost all mixer components, either in addition to the mechanical polish or as an option for unpolished components.  Electropolishing is an electrolitic process that removes a small amount of metal and virtually all contamination from metal surfaces.  It leaves the surface with a bright, reflective surface.  After electropolishing, the components are thoroughly rinsed with deionized water to remove any chemical residue from the electropolishing process.  Additional information on electropolishing can be provided upon request.  Electropolishing typically adds one to two weeks to a normal fabrication schedule (in addition to the mechanical polish if required).