Design and scale-up of a semi-industrial downer-reactor for the rounding of irregular polymer particles

Journal Article · Wed Mar 09 04:00:00 EST 2016 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4942289· OSTI ID:22589305

Sachs, Marius; Schmidt, Jochen; Peukert, Wolfgang; Wirth, Karl-Ernst ^[1]

---

1. Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute of Particle Technology, Cauerstr. 4, D-91058 Erlangen (Germany)

The recent development of rapid prototyping technologies towards additive manufacturing reveals some major drawbacks of processes such as laser beam melting (LBM). This contribution focuses on the lack of suitable polymer material with a fine particle size and good flowability. Polymer particles obtained by a wet grinding process 1 are treated in a heated downer reactor. This treatment changes the particles’ morphology from a chiselled state towards a spherical form by surface tension forces in a molten state 2 and leads to an improved flowability. To reach the required amount of rounded polymer powder, a downer reactor in semi-industrial scale has been established and will be characterized in this article. For the purpose of particle rounding it is necessary to avoid contact of molten particles with each other and with the hot reactor walls. Furthermore, the heat distribution has been investigated as one of the key parameters of the process. Finally, a proof of concept by rounding wet grinded PBT material was successfully conducted. The product was examined to obtain data about a change in particle size and flowability.

• OSTI ID: 22589305
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 1713; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ADDITIVES
CHEMICAL REACTORS
FINE PARTICLES
HEAT
LASER RADIATION
MELTING
MORPHOLOGY
PARTICLE SIZE
POLYESTERS
POWDERS
SPHERICAL CONFIGURATION
SURFACE TENSION
SURFACES