Innovation is a cornerstone of Hosokawa Micron’s powder processing philosophy, perfectly encapsulated by the ground-breaking mechanofusion® processing technique we pioneered more than thirty years ago and enabled by our high-speed Mechanofusion® AMS particle engineering equipment.
The Mechanofusion® AMS is extremely popular around the world for academic scientific experimentation and commercial R&D purposes, aiding the evolution of diverse high-performance products, including high-quality pharmaceutical APIs, DPI material and excipients, cosmetics, lithium battery material, ceramics, printer toner, pigments and electrical parts. This compact and entirely unique piece of equipment has been specially designed for facilitating dry particle-to-particle fusion, to enhance particle performance, control particle shapes by making them spherical or flat, precisely distributing and finely blending particles and to create an infinite number of new functional materials by generating a mechano-chemical reaction between two or more organic or inorganic substances, metals, ceramics or other materials.
The most recent incarnation of the Mechanofusion® AMS features the latest technology and powder recirculation capability, allowing for the broadest range of powders and particles to be adapted or created, while the integration of a water-cooled jacket permits accurate temperature control, efficiently maintaining product integrity during processing. An additional benefit of this unique equipment is the ease of scale-up to commercial production levels.
Hosokawa Micron’s ground-breaking Mechanofusion® AMS is an excellent multi-tasking solution for the high-performance creation, control and manipulation of all kinds of material into superior-quality powders with new and/or improved functionality and qualities.
Conveniently available in a range of sizes and capacities (from 0.1 litres up to 200 litres), the dry particle composing equipment is perfect for research and development purposes and can easily be scaled-up to process commercial amounts of extremely high-quality powder materials.
For very small-scale laboratory and R&D use, particularly where very expensive materials are involved, we also offer the diminutive Picoline picobond® system (available with a Mechanofusion® AMS module), which is closely based on the full-size Mechanofusion® AMS range.
The pioneering technology behind Hosokawa Micron’s unique Mechanofusion® AMS has accelerated scientific capabilities in the field of material science, permitting the manipulation of a wealth of raw particle materials into new or adapted powder forms through dry particle-to-particle fusion and manipulation.
These fusion and modification techniques have allowed the creation of both sophisticated new advanced materials and better-performing particulate materials for use by wide-ranging industry sectors in an increasing number of applications.
Products that benefit from the technical advances afforded by mechanofusion® include cosmetics, pigments, fuel batteries, lithium batteries, biochemicals, toner, magnets, ceramic parts, electrical parts, catalysts, metal powder and thermet materials for use in the building industry.
Extremely popular for producing cutting-edge medicines, the Mechanofusion® AMS is extremely effective at functionalising pharmaceuticals, including controlling their dissolution rate, preventing oxidisation and masking bitter-tasting formulations. The AMS is excellent for ensuring even dosing, with the API precisely dispersed and mechanically fixed in a thin layer onto the carrier particle. This results in the extremely good flowability of the composite material, allowing for uniform metering of the active substance and promoting fast absorption of the medicine due to the API being evenly distributed over a very large surface area.
In the battery sector, the equipment excels at increasing conductivity and rechargeability of cathode materials, while the rounding of anode material helps to achieve a higher filling rate and a better sintering performance by the rechargeable battery. The performance of separator material can also be improved by increasing the reactor performance of fuel cell electrodes.
To create the vibrantly strong and high-performing pigments used in printer toner, the Mechanofusion® AMS effortlessly blends material using extreme compression and shear forces to create a mechano-chemical effect that produces hues that are unachievable when using conventional high-speed mixers.
Typical mechanofusion® techniques include:
Hosokawa Micron Corporation is one of the world’s leading authorities on powder science and engineering, powder processing and characterisation technology and advanced, cutting-edge processing techniques. The company, based in Osaka in Japan, is at the vanguard of pioneering high-performance processing equipment for powders, particulates, liquids and vapours, as well as new techniques to significantly improve the quality and capabilities of manufactured end products within an impressive variety of applications and throughout diverse industry sectors – from pharmaceuticals, chemicals and nuclear to food and cosmetics.
70% of the world’s chemical substances are in a solid state. When used in a manufacturing capacity, most are utilised through some form of powder processing, ensuring the process of developing and manufacturing powder material is both exciting and ever-changing. One of the most ground-breaking achievements in recent years has been engineering powder to nano particle sizes, greatly increasing the potential for new functional materials and offering more high-performance, higher-quality materials and products, aided by ever more sophisticated processing technology.
The not-for-profit Council of Powder Technology was established by Hosokawa Micron Corporation in 1969 – superceded in 1991 by the public service-approved Hosokawa Powder Technology Foundation – with aims to advance global knowledge, development and support in the broad field of powder engineering and technology, originally introducing solely Japanese research papers to a global academic audience.
Today, the foundation’s internationally recognised KONA Powder and Particle Journal offers a wealth of fascinating scientific research papers, conducted by academics based all around the world. Published annually, the peer-reviewed journal is available, free of charge, to researchers, scientists, universities and libraries.
Wide-ranging scientific content ultimately aims to help advance the development of ecologically and economically sustainable solutions for the future of international manufacturing in everything from medicines and cosmetics to renewable energy and recycling, with in-depth articles focussing on subjects such as lithium battery production, smart powder processing for advanced materials, performance testing dry powder inhaler products for clinical use and functionalising graphite spheres for rational catalyst design.
To access the latest edition of the KONA Powder and Particle Journal in digital or downloadable PDF format, along with all of its back issues, please click here. To receive a printed copy of the latest issue, please contact Hosokawa Micron Ltd on +44 (0)1928 755100.
The Mechanofusion® AMS is an outstanding multi-functional manipulator of particulate material, a composer of new, highly functional powders and a super-quick mixer of two or more materials into sophisticated super-fine blends that are unachievable using conventional mixing techniques. The equipment may be used on its own or as a component of a more complex mixing system.
Essentially, using a dry processing method, the equipment generates strong mechanical energy that causes mechano-chemical reactions between particles, establishing new particle characteristics and fusions of an infinite number of primary materials which can create entirely new functional materials of an extremely high standard for use in a wide range of applications.
One or more raw powder materials are fed from the top into the Mechanofusion® AMS’s rotor, which features a fixed press head. When in operation, the rotor rotates at high speed, creating a centrifugal force which causes the powder to repeatedly press against the rotor’s wall and succumb to powerful compression and shear forces that induce new characteristics in the processing material.
The wall is designed with slits to allow the processing material to exit the rotor and be carried up by the equipment’s powder circulation blades to the top of the rotor so it may be processed again.
Particles are composed by a combination of three-dimensional circulation and high-speed, high-frequency compression and shear force.
Material temperature is precisely controlled by an integrated cooling jacket, which helps to maintain a consistent temperature for the powder as it processes.
Processing can be undertaken in inert gas such as nitrogen or argon.
When the desired result is achieved, the processed powder exits the equipment via the discharging valve, from where it can undergo further processing downstream or be collected.
More complicated processing is achievable using a Hosokawa-designed process system. Pre-mixing of two or more materials may be required, followed by the mechanofusion® stage and possibly ending with a homogenisation process using a second mixer.
The Mechanofusion® AMS by Hosokawa Micron can be supplied as an individual piece of particle composition equipment but may also be supplied as part of a larger, tailor-made process system designed, engineered and manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Group to precisely cater for your specific application, material and requirements.
Perfect for individual use in a laboratory setting, the Mechanofusion® AMS may also be utilised in a mixing process system, which may comprise equipment such as a loss in weight system, a dust collector, pre-mixing and post-mixing Nauta Mixers, which bookend the unique dry processing capabilities of the Mechanofusion® AMS, and a filling and weighing system for down streaming the processed material.
Trusted by leading manufacturing companies spanning a wide variety of sectors – from pharmaceuticals, nuclear and chemicals to cosmetics and food – Hosokawa Micron Group is known globally for equipment and process system innovations that perfectly complement our game-changing processing techniques.
A first-class in-house project management and engineering service, along with technical services such as contract manufacturing, particle design and powder testing, offer you a complete, professional solution to match our adaptable high-performance products and the process systems that we can precisely tailor-make for you.
Our equipment portfolio is also underpinned by extensive lifecycle management services and friendly, efficient customer care to support you during the decades of service you can expect to enjoy from Hosokawa Micron Group equipment and process systems.
Browse though the Hosokawa Micron product catalogue to view all of our innovative processing equipment or contact us directly on
