Lubricants Formulation & Characterization

Formulation labs face an increasing demand for high throughput experimentation due to a number of challenges such as :

Regulatory pressure on raw materials and additives.
A move towards green and sustainable ingredients.
Increasing costs of raw materials.

A lack of reproducibility and traceability in manual procedures.
Poor scale-up to production batches.
The need to bring products to market faster.

Add solids, powders, liquids, highly viscous materials to the milligram resolution while the formulation is being processed.

Formulation Module / Vessel

Modular Precision Vessel

Up to 12 high-quality automated formulations / emulsions per run.
Stainless steel vessels / blenders, other materials are available upon request.
Screwless design for easy and convenient cleaning.

Individual control of:

STIRRING / SCRAPING

Stirring up to 6’000 rpm.
Up to 2’000 rpm at 250’000 mPa·s.
Flexible stirrer designs (e.g. rotor / stator, dispersing disk, customized).
Counter-scraping for maximum formulation quality up to 200 rpm.

TEMPERATURE

Internal and external temperature control via electric heating and fluidic cooling design for highest accuracy (-20 to 250°C, +/-0.1°C). Enables full control of formulations / emulsions even during addition of solids or liquids.

Platform

2 Modules with up to 12 high-quality formulation vessels.
Ventilated hood for safety and conditioned operation, trolley.
Optimized footprint (3×3 ft, 90×90 cm) versus capacity, while reducing costs and maximizing return on investment.
Inherent scalable flexibility & modularity by design for adaptations to future needs.

Overhead Dispensing Tools

4-Needle head liquid handling tool or volumetric & gravimetric aspirating / dispensing tool.
Proprietary Robotic Tool exchange interface.
Dispensing while conditioning / processing.

4-Needle Head Overhead Liquid Handling Tool

4-Needle Head Overhead Liquid Handling Tool

4 Independent needles.
Driven by 4 syringe pumps (1, 10 or 25 mL).
Automatic rinsing or disposable tips.
Large selection of needles.
Viscosity < 100 mPa·s.

Overhead Gravimetric Aspirating / Dispensing Tool for Viscous Liquids (GDU-V)

Overhead Gravimetric Aspirating / Dispensing Tool for Viscous Liquids

Class II (EN45501) precision balance.
Gravimetric or volumetric dispensing mode.
Disposable positive displacement tips (0.1 – 12.5 mL).
Resolution: 1 mg.
Viscosity: < 15’000 mPa·s.
On-the-fly density measurement.

Overhead Gravimetric Dispensing Tool for Highly Viscous Liquids (GDU-HV)

Class II (EN45501) precision balance.
Dispensing range: mg – 100 g.
Resolution: 1 mg.
Viscosity: < 500’000 mPa·s.
Optional aspiration & heated transfer upgrade.

OPTIONAL FEATURES

Continuous feed pumps with feed vessels.
pH measurement and control.
Vacuum connections for degassing, extraction, evaporation.
Gravimetric solid dispensing tool.
Viscosity measurement & adjustment.