Stainless Steel or Plastic Mix Tank Systems – Which Should You Select?

Stainless mix tanks or poly? The best choice for your application depends on many variables.

The main parameters in mixing tank or vessel selection are contents, corrosion resistance, volume, temperature, & location. Please note that these are only starting points, and that other factors may apply.

Poly mixing vessels offer advantages over steel mixing tanks, including cost, weight, rapid fabrication time compared to stainless steel, and the ability to see liquid level.

Metal tanks are more resistant to cracking and temperature effects. Still, they require more work to fabricate, including polishing the base metal and welds. For these reasons, metal tank manufacturing cost is typically higher than plastic tanks.

Some of these may be deciding reasons to choose a stainless/metal tank.

• If you need a pressure or vacuum rating, then it’s an easy choice for a stainless steel mixing tank.
• Specific critical heating and cooling applications also would point to a jacketed stainless process vessel.

Typical sanitary mixing vessels include mechanical polish and electropolishing with cGMP documentation packages.

Poly Mix Tank Applications

Poly tanks in PP and PVDF are USP VI-rated.

• DI and RO ultrapure water systems
• Biopharma mixing applications such as buffer prep, media prep, chrome slurry agitation, etc.

White Mountain Process supplies stainless and poly mixing tanks and vessels to support the industrial mixers and agitators we specialize in.

We can help with stirring – agitation as well. White Mountain Process specializes in custom-fabricated sanitary mixing impellers in many configurations. Mixer and tank polishing, passivation, and electropolishing are services offered, as well as agitator impeller repairs and retrofits.

With a focus on biopharma and sanitary mixer users, we offer all stainless sanitary polished tanks, sanitary high-viscosity blending equipment, and biotech-ready tanks and vessels. We also offer FDA and USP VI plastic tanks and plastic tank mixer packages, including stainless tank stands.