CRYOGENIC GRINDING & LOW TEMPERATURE POWDER PROCESSING
Introduction
Many polymers, elastomers, and engineering plastics become soft, ductile, or elastic when processed under normal ambient grinding conditions. These materials often smear, melt, agglomerate, or deform rather than fracture, making conventional size reduction difficult or impossible.
Polymer Add (Thailand) Co., Ltd. offers specialized cryogenic toll manufacturing services using liquid nitrogen cooling to convert difficult-to-process polymers into free-flowing powders with controlled particle size distributions.
Our cryogenic processing facility supports product development, laboratory evaluation, pilot production, and commercial contract manufacturing for customers developing new polymer powders or seeking alternative processing routes.
Why Cryogenic Grinding?
Cryogenic processing allows materials to be cooled below their glass transition temperature before grinding.
Instead of deforming, the material fractures cleanly, allowing:
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Smaller particle sizes |
Narrower particle size distribution |
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Reduced heat generation |
Lower oxidation |
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Improved powder flow |
Better handling of elastic materials |
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Preservation of polymer properties |
Reduced thermal degradation |
Our Cryogenic Processing Workflow
Every project begins with understanding the customer’s material and target particle size.
Typical processing steps include:
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Stage |
Description |
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Material Evaluation |
Review polymer grade, additives, moisture, and application requirements |
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Laboratory Trial |
Small-scale cryogenic grinding to determine processability |
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Process Development |
Selection of grinding conditions and operating parameters |
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Cryogenic Size Reduction |
Controlled grinding under liquid nitrogen cooling |
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Particle Classification |
Screening and separation to customer specifications |
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Quality Verification |
PSD analysis, moisture testing, and visual inspection |
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Packaging |
Customer-specific packaging from laboratory quantities to commercial
production |
Each project is developed individually to meet customer requirements.
Current Development Projects
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Material |
Project Status |
Typical Application |
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EPDM Rubber |
Development |
Rubber compounds and recycled rubber powders |
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EVA (28% VA) |
Active |
Adhesives, masterbatch, polymer modification |
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LDPE Resin |
Development |
Rotational moulding, masterbatch, additives |
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LLDPE Resin |
Development |
Film additives, rotational moulding |
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HDPE Resin |
Development |
Masterbatch, powder coating, rotational moulding |
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PP Resin |
Development |
Compounding and specialty additives |
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Nylon Resin |
Development |
Engineering polymer applications |
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PA-66 |
Active Customer Evaluation |
Automotive and engineering plastics |
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PMMA |
Development |
Optical and specialty polymer applications |
Our development programme continues to expand as additional polymer systems are evaluated.
Materials Suitable for Cryogenic Grinding
Representative materials include:
Polyolefins
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LDPE |
LLDPE |
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HDPE |
PP |
Engineering Plastics
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Nylon |
PA-6 |
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PA-66 |
PMMA |
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POM |
PET |
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PBT |
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Elastomers
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EPDM |
EVA |
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TPU |
TPE |
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SBS |
SEBS |
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Natural Rubber |
Synthetic Rubber |
Additional polymers may be evaluated following laboratory trials.
Typical Services
We support customers throughout product development and commercial production by offering:
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Toll Cryogenic Grinding |
Contract Powder Manufacturing |
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Product Development Trials |
Small-scale cryogenic grinding to determine processability |
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Process Development |
Particle Size Optimisation |
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Laboratory Feasibility Studies |
Pilot Production |
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Commercial Production |
Custom Powder Specifications |
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Particle Size Distribution Analysis |
Customer-Specific Packaging |
Quality Control
Each project can be supported with customer-specific quality testing including:
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Laser Particle Size Analysis |
D10, D50, D90, D97, D99 and D100
measurements |
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Particle Size Distribution Reports |
Moisture Testing |
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Bulk Density |
Visual Inspection |
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Sample Retention |
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Additional testing may be performed according to customer specifications.
Industries We Support
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Polymer Compounding |
Masterbatch Manufacturing |
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Plastic Recycling |
Engineering Plastics |
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Automotive Components |
Wire & Cable |
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Adhesives |
Sealants |
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Powder Coatings |
Specialty Chemicals |
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Research & Development |
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Future Project Portfolio
This section will continue to expand as additional materials are commercialized. Future project pages will include:
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Material-specific processing studies |
Particle size optimisation |
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SEM micrographs |
Laser particle size distribution reports |
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Comparative grinding studies |
Processing recommendations |
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Application case studies |
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Contact Us
If your material cannot be processed using conventional ambient grinding methods, our cryogenic grinding specialists can evaluate its suitability through laboratory trials before progressing to pilot or commercial production.