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Micro-compounding refers to the mixing or processing of polymer formulations in the melt form on a very small scale, typically several ml. The advantages of the use of a micro-compounder for R&D are significant. Micro-compounding gives faster, more and yet reliable results with much smaller samples and at much less investment costs, thus speeding up the innovation process in R&D of polymer materials, and other fields such as pharmaceutical, biomedical and nutritional applications.

Micro-compounding is typically performed with a benchtop, twin screw micro-compounder or micro -extruder with a working volume of about 5 to 15 ml. With such small volumes it is almost impossible to have sufficient material mixing and dispersion in a continuous extruder. Therefore, state of the art micro-compounders have a batch mode (recirculation) and conical shaped screws. The L/D of a continuous twin screw extruder is mimicked in a batch micro-compounder by the recirculation process, which is controlled by a manual or automatic valve. With this valve the recirculation can be interrupted to unload the formulation in either a strand, or an injection molder, a film device or a fiber line. Typically the recirculation times are about 1 to 3 minutes, dependent on the ease of dispersive and distributive mixing of the formulation.

With such benchtop laboratory equipment it is now also possible to produce films, fibers and test samples (tensile bars, rods, rings, tablets) from mixtures as small as 5 ml in less than 10 minutes. By the small footprint less lab space is needed than for a parallel twin screw extruder. Because of these benefits screening of optimum formulations in R&D is really feasible and affordable. In pharmaceutical and biomedical R&D, where sample costs are a key issue, GMP compliant pharma micro-extruders are especially useful. This equipment is very useful for testing the improvement of bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs or realizing sustained release of dispersed or dissolved ingredients. As pharmaceutical formulations are usually difficult to feed because of fluffy, static powders, pharma micro-extruders usually have special options to easily fill and easily clean, which further speeds up the R&D process.

Before micro-compounder was developed and micro-compounding was used, compounding of new polymer formulations usually was performed on small laboratory extruders, for which at least a few hundred grams of polymer was needed. For testing the properties of these new polymers a pilot line was needed to synthesize such large quantities. This made new developments in polymer materials very tedious, time consuming and costly.

Long River Industry and Trade Company specializes in the design, manufacture, and supply of laboratory scale micro extruders and other micro extrusion related lab instruments. With our years of extensive experiences in thermoplastics processing, we have successfully developed advanced benchtop micro-compounders and related micro processing lab instruments such as Micro Injection Molders, Micro Filament/Fiber Spinning Machines, Micro Cast Film Machine, Micro Blown Film Machine, Micro Melt Blowing Machine and Micro 3D Filament Line. Our products are being used by many universities, research institutes and R&D departments of companies. Cutting edge companies such as Intersect ENT and top universities such as Drexel University are using our products in their R&D projects, and our products provide very cost-effective solutions for their R&D needs.