Atomise Polymers to Maximise Profits

The difficulties of mass-producing micron-sized high-quality powders from molten polymers can be avoided by using high pressure gas atomisation methods.

The production of micron-sized polymer powders from molten polymers is an attractive, facile, low energy, and eco­nomic process. Polymer powders with tai­lored characteristics such as particle shape and size distribution, and purity can be directly prepared from the molten state of polymers such as polyethylene-based waxes that cannot be ground using conventional grinding methods. The gas atomisation process (GAP) for mass-pro­ducing high quality spherical polymer powders involves the use of high pressure (approximately 7.6MNm-2 maximum) nitrogen gas and a specifi­cally designed nozzle to atomise a molten stream of polymer into fine droplets which cool to form spherical powders, Powders with proper­ties tailored to varying applications can be effi­ciently produced in short cycle times by chang­ing few process control variables in a contami­nation-free environment, thus making the GAP a useful alternative to conventional grinding processes. These benefits of the process together with its flexibility, high throughput and facile nature can be expected to make it highly attrac­tive to industrial processes that must be capable of mass production, safe and environmentally ­benign operation.