Because its milling chamber has the same configuration as larger production mills, the new Qualification Micronizer® jet mill from Sturtevant Inc. enables pharmaceutical laboratories to develop powder formulations with desired fine particle sizes on small scale, before confidently proceeding to clinical trial and production quantities. For cleaning or autoclaving, its few parts are easily disassembled without tools.

Designed for experimental batches of 5-20 grams, the versatile Qualification Micronizer® can mill up to half a pound of material per hour, yet is capable of feed rates as low as a few grams per hour with maximum sample recovery. The fines it produces have a narrow particle-size distribution, with particle diameters as small as a few microns. Other benefits include low air consumption, low operating noise, and no heat buildup.

A replaceable venturi allows the Qualification Micronizer® to accept a wide range of feed sizes, and its peripheral feed design significantly reduces blowback. Inside the milling chamber, precisely aligned jet nozzles use either compressed air or bottled gas to create a high-velocity vortex that causes particles to collide and disintegrate into tiny spheres. While centrifugal force retains larger particles at the perimeter of the chamber, the fines move toward the center, where they are discharged to a collection bag. A large grinding chamber and an oversized outlet reduces clogging.