Cryogenic Grinding

PolarFit™ Ultra-Fine-Grinding Technology for Size Reduction Systems

Air Products PolarFit technology performs the most efficient particle size reduction for all types of rubber, plastics and pigments.

Air Products can undertake fine grinding of tough thermoplastic materials, polypropylene, nylon and rubber materials to particle sizes down to below 50 micron at controlled temperatures using liquid nitrogen.

PolarFit™ size reduction system for fine grinding plastics and pigments
Air Products PolarFit systems perform three essential tasks in the efficient particle size reduction of all types of plastics and pigments.

• Cryogenic Grinding - Grinding tough, thermoplastic materials at cryogenic temperatures means that plastics are brittle enough to be ground to very fine particles sizes.
• Temperature Control - Controlled injection of liquid nitrogen regulates the heat of the grinding mill and allows higher material throughputs at any time of year.
• Inert Grinding - Organic materials have an increased risk of explosion when very fine particles combine. The use of nitrogen to make the atmosphere inert reduces the possibility of this occurrence.

Benefits of PolarFit™ size reduction system for plastics & pigments

• Smaller particles
• Regular particle size
• Efficient process
• Effective temperature control
• Inert atmosphere
• Trial Facilities
• Improved surface Morphology

PolarFit™ size reduction for recycling rubber materials

Air Products PolarFit systems enable rubber scrap materials to be ground into fine particles for reuse in compounding for new rubber and plastic products.

Benefits of PolarFit™ size reduction for Rubber

• Smaller rubber particles down to 100 micron
• Regular particle size
• Efficient process by introducing minimum nitrogen and maximum throughput
• Improved surface Morphology

Air Products Technical Support Service

Air Products commitment to better understanding our customers' needs has led us to combine forces with the renown Fraunhofer UMSICHT based in Oberhausen Germany.
Air Products customers from across Europe are now able to access a fully independent grinding test facility as well as expert consultancy services in size reduction techniques and processes.

Benefits of Technical Support Service

• Independent evaluation of different grinding processes
• A wide range of grinding methods available using different milling techniques
• Characterisation of particle size distributions, shape, surface area and element analysis
• Chemical analysis to determine any changes before and after cryogenic grinding
• Material profiles for powder/spray coatings to ensure correct surface finish
• Complete process optimisation
• Fully evaluated cost summaries

Whether dealing with rubber, plastics, pigments, chemicals or spices, the benefits of cryogenic size reduction to your process can be fully evaluated.