GEA Niro addresses nanoparticle production issues

Using nanoparticles in a manufacturing environment is problematic. In their dry form, they have a low density, are electrostatic and can travel in the air. This makes them a potential environmental or health hazard and a challenge to handle.

Until recently, nanoparticles could only be used if they were in liquid solvent suspensions. However, in such a form, their applications are limited. Manufacturers would prefer them in a safe, dry form so that they could be used in conventional powder processing equipment to build ceramic or metal parts.

Now, a team from GEA Niro has developed a system that not only eliminates the health risks involved in handling the particles but also helps manufacturers to exploit the enhanced strength and fatigue characteristics of the materials.

Michael Wahlberg, head of GEA Niro’s Test and Development Centre in Denmark, said the rationale was to produce a nanostructured material that could be used in dry processes as easily as the powders being used today.