How are nanoparticles manufactured?
Nanoparticle manufacturing occurs through two primary paradigms:
Batch Manufacturing (Traditional): Mixing reagents in a vessel where reactions occur under static or stirred conditions. While simple, batch processes suffer from:
- Poor mixing leading to inconsistent particle properties
- Limited heat and mass transfer creating thermal and concentration gradients
- Difficulty scaling from laboratory to production volumes
- Batch-to-batch variability requiring extensive quality control
- Long development cycles (typically 3-5 years from lab to commercial scale)
- High capital and operating costs
Continuous Flow Manufacturing (Advanced): Reagents are continuously pumped through specially designed reactors where reactions occur under precisely controlled conditions. This approach offers:
- Superior mixing: Turbulent flow and high shear rates ensure uniform reaction conditions
- Precise control: Temperature, residence time, and reagent ratios remain constant
- Scalability: Process parameters translate directly from laboratory to production scale
- Consistency: Continuous operation eliminates batch-to-batch variation
- Efficiency: Reduced waste, lower energy consumption, and faster production cycles
- Speed to market: Scale-up achieved in 6 months instead of 5 years
Production Scales: AM’s continuous flow systems enable a staged scale-up approach:
- Laboratory scale (1 kg/day): Process development and optimization
- Pilot scale (10 kg/day): Validation and customer sampling
- Manufacturing scale (100 kg/day): Commercial production delivering 30+ tonnes annually
This modular approach to manufacturing dramatically reduces technical risk and investment costs while maintaining product quality across all production scales.