According to the All India Plastics Manufacturers’ Association (AIPMA), the Indian plastics industry grows at an annual rate of 12-15 percent. Manufacturers are increasingly focusing on customizing products in accordance with end-user needs. Here’s an overview of how cryogenic grinding is the means to a useful and cost-effective solution for fine grinding of plastics.

 

For the production of functional polymers, the demand for fine and ultrafine particle sizes is an ongoing market trend. Besides technical feasibility, the grinding process needs to be cost-effective and energy-efficient. There are many industrial applications where fine grinding of plastics is required, including textile coating of fitted carpets, mixing of compounds, hot-melt powders, additives for paints and recycling of recoverable materials such as rubber.

 

Cryogenic grinding is a method of powdering products at sub-zero temperatures ranging from 0℃ to -175℃. The products are cooled down with liquid nitrogen before they are ground. This process does not damage or alter the chemical composition of the products in any way. Normal grinding processes that do not use a cooling system can result in heat generation of up to the softening or even melting point of the product.