MeltPrep ads

How easy is it to achieve a homogeneous mixture when working with only a few milligrams of Material? To demonstrate how the MeltPrep Mixer mixes, we tested a formulation using 𝟰𝟬 𝗺𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗞𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗼𝗻® 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟱 𝗺𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. The materials were placed directly onto the Mixer and processed at 160 °C, where controlled shear is applied to distribute the components. During mixing, the material is repeatedly sheared and folded, allowing the pigment to disperse evenly throughout the polymer. Within only 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀, the formulation transitions from a visibly heterogeneous mixture to a 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱. Because the MeltPrep Mixer operates in a 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, every milligram of material remains available for the next step in the workflow. This makes it especially useful for early formulation development, where material availability is often limited. The result is a 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺-𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 that is ready for further processing, such as specimen preparation or additional formulation screening.

Can several small specimens be combined into a single homogeneous material without losing any of them along the way? To demonstrate the concept, we started with three 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲-𝗗 𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, each weighing 𝟯𝟬 𝗺𝗴. Two were yellow, and one was red. If these represented different formulation components, the first step would be obvious. They need to be mixed together. So we placed the three bears directly onto the 𝗠𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽 𝗠𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗿. After slightly softening the material, we applied a few 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀. Within minutes, the three specimens blended into a 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺, 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. Because the mixing process is 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀, every milligram of material stays available for further processing. To complete the demonstration, we processed the homogenized blend again using 𝗩𝗖𝗠 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲-𝗗 𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. The material was transformed into a 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝟵𝟬𝟬 𝗺𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗿 with the same defined geometry. Placed side by side, the transformation is clear. Three individual specimens become one homogeneous specimen without solvents and without losing material. It is a playful example to highlight an important capability of the MeltPrep Mixer: 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁-𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲, 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺-𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀, making it especially useful for early formulation screening where material quantities are limited and every milligram matters.

How little material is actually enough to create a homogeneous blend? In early formulation development, you often only have a few milligrams of an API or a limited experimental compound available, and every milligram becomes extremely valuable. We wanted to see just how far we could push milligram-scale mixing. So we asked a simple question: can the MeltPrep Mixer reliably mix only 𝟭 𝗺𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹? To test it, we processed 𝟭 𝗺𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘀 in the Mixer. The system applies controlled shear, similar to shear rates in hot-melt extrusion (100–1000 s⁻¹), but at a scale designed specifically for milligram quantities. The result was a 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱, produced from just a single milligram of material while keeping the process essentially lossless. What makes this interesting for development teams is that it allows meaningful formulation work even when material availability is extremely limited. Instead of waiting until larger quantities are available, early screening can already start at the milligram scale. For anyone working with high-value APIs or early formulation prototypes, that level of material efficiency can make a real difference in how quickly development decisions can be made.

Achieving homogeneous mixtures at the milligram scale can be challenging, especially when different components need to be blended evenly without losing material. Here, we use 𝟰𝟬 𝗺𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗽𝗹𝘂𝘀® 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟭𝟬 𝗺𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 on the MeltPrep Mixer to demonstrate how controlled shear mixing works at this scale. The materials were processed at 𝟭𝟲𝟬 °𝗖, where the Mixer applies repeated 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 redistributing the components and allowing the pigment to disperse throughout the polymer matrix. Within 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀, the initially heterogeneous mixture becomes a 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱. Because the mixing process is 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀, every milligram of the formulation remains available for further processing. This makes the MeltPrep Mixer particularly valuable for early-stage formulation work where only small material quantities are available. The experiment also highlights the system's versatility. The Mixer enables 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺-𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀, helping researchers generate meaningful formulation insights with minimal material consumption.

If you have seen our “VCM in a nutshell” explanation, you may remember the example where a poorly homogenized formulation was processed into a rod. It clearly shows what happens when mixing is insufficient. Even though the sample can be molded, the internal composition remains heterogeneous. Now that the MeltPrep Mixer is available, we can take that exact same example one step further. Instead of preparing a new formulation, we simply take the 𝘂𝗻𝗺𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗼𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 and place it onto the MeltPrep Mixer. The material is gently softened and exposed to 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴. After only a few shear and fold cycles, the formulation begins to redistribute and the blend becomes fully homogeneous. To recreate the exact same specimen geometry, we then 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗩𝗖𝗠. This allows a direct comparison between the original heterogeneous rod and the homogenized sample produced after mixing. Placed side by side, the difference becomes immediately visible. The transformation from a poorly mixed formulation to a homogeneous blend is clear. This demonstration highlights the key strength of the 𝗠𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽 𝗠𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗿. It enables 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺-𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, making it especially useful for early formulation screening where material availability is limited and every milligram counts. If you work with milligram quantities and want reliable homogenization before specimen preparation, the MeltPrep Mixer brings mixing and sample preparation together in one workflow.

When people first see Vacuum Compression Molding (VCM), one question comes up almost immediately. “What about mixing?” It is a fair question. Preparing specimens from milligram quantities is one thing, but achieving proper homogenization before specimen preparation is just as important. Without reliable mixing, even the best sample preparation method cannot deliver meaningful formulation data. That is exactly why we developed the 𝗠𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽 𝗠𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗱𝗱-𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗖𝗠 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺. The Mixer enables 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝟭 𝗺𝗴, while applying 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝟭𝟬𝟬–𝟭𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝘀⁻¹). This allows efficient blending of both small and large molecules while maintaining precise control over the mixing process. Because when you work with milligram quantities, every step in the workflow should operate at the same scale. Mixing, homogenization, and specimen preparation should all work together without unnecessary material loss. The MeltPrep Mixer closes that gap and extends the VCM workflow to include reliable milligram-scale mixing. If you are working with milligram quantities and want to see how mixing can fit seamlessly into your workflow, feel free to reach out.