(57) A ribbon blender (32) has a shaft (34), and a plurality of blender sections (40,
42, 44) are positioned on the shaft and rotate with it. Three types of modular ribbon
blender sections are used in forming the blender, including a center section (44)
and first and second end sections (40, 42) assembled on opposite sides of the center
section. The end sections are substantially the mirror image of each other. Each of
the sections have a hub portion (46, 60, 72) and first ribbon segments (54, 68, 80)
and second ribbon segments (56, 70, 82) located in generally helical paths that are
spaced from the hub portion. The sections are assembled on the shaft so that the ribbon
segments of one section form a continuation of segments of an adjacent section, thus
forming substantially continuous helical ribbons around the shaft. The ribbon segments
(80, 82) of the center section join an outer ribbon segment of one of the end sections
with an inner ribbon segment of the other ribbon section to provide for cross mixing
of material in the area of the center section of the ribbon blender. Such a ribbon
blender is especially useful for mixing developer material in the sump of an electrographic
apparatus, such as a copier/duplicator.
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