Three Roll Mills and the Mixing of Biomaterials

What Are Biomaterials

Biomaterials are used in the field of medicine for drug and gene delivery, bio detection of pathogens, protein detections, DNA probing, tissue engineering, separation and purification of cells and molecules, MRI contrast enhancement, and phagokinetic studies. Biomaterials consist of polymers and nanoparticles that interact with the cells of the organism, which involves integration of non-biological nano fibers with bioactive components. Living organisms are composed of cells with sub-micron sized components. Nanoparticles are comparable to that size and can be used to interact with the cellular machinery without too much interference. Utilization of bionanomaterials promotes the survival and integration of transplanted cells and the specific control site for delivery of therapeutic drugs.

How Do Biomaterials Function

The function and specific applications of biomaterials is achieved by mixing desired bis-prepolymer with certain bioactive molecules functionalized in the same groups [6]. The polymers are reinforced by physically dispersing a variety of nano fillers in different shapes, such as fibers, platelets, or spheres into the polymeric host inorganic fillers. This combination gives the polymers characteristics such as high modulus, high oxidation resistance, or high use temperature. Ideally, the result would be a synergic effect of the components, not just the volumetric averaging function of the individual components [7]. These qualities are attributed to the filler particle surface properties and interfacial interactions that are important when dealing with small particles.

Which Biomaterials to Use

The type of biomaterials to be used is dependent on mode of application, nature of bioactive molecules, need for surface functionalization, cell porosity, and other issues. The production of biotech materials can encounter problems such as solids settling, shear damage, air entrainment, vortexing, temperature and pH gradients, and mixing zone which can compromise its potential. Physicochemical triggers such as temperature, pH, and ionic strength can lead to self-aggregation due to separation of the colloidal solution [12]. Aggregation of the particles result in reduced efficiency of the material.Polymeric nanocomposites dispersed in the polymer matrix determines the physical properties of the biomaterial. Decreased particle size means that there is significant increase to the surface energy. An issue with using nanoparticles is the tendency for the particles to aggregate, which then reduces the total surface energy [7]. To lessen the problem, nanoparticles are grafted or modified into organic groups that are compatible with the polymer matrix [7].

Using Biomaterials for Medical Purposes

When using biomaterials for medical purposes, the basic challenge is biocompatibility with the living organism. Many biomaterials are made from combinations of polymers to achieve specific characteristics. Optimizing the mixture of polymers is difficult as the cells change shape, resulting in an increase or decrease in contact with the films. The cell-material dynamics determine whether the biomaterial leads to abnormal cell growth or insufficient drug delivery. With biomaterials, the particle matrix has a significant role in drug delivery due to its stimuli-responses and natural polymers that control the release of drug onto specific sites [9]. The shape of the nanoparticles is an important factor in particle design and determines the therapeutic efficacy in particle-based medicines as they affect particle distribution in the blood. Long cylindrical filaments have negligible phagocytosis compared to spherical particles with similar volume.

Biomaterials have been incorporated in many new medical technology and treatments. One recent application is in wound treatment. Traditional wound dressing that involves hydrogel would promote healing, but does not allow for the wound to breath. Another type of dressing is dry films that have tiny pores to allow for air exchange, but is more vulnerable to bacterial infection. These issues are resolved using biomaterial made from the balance of positive and negative moieties from the mixed-charge polymers [4].

Another use of biomaterials is in biological regeneration. In vivo bone regeneration is carried by creating an injectable calcium phosphate biomaterial. The mechanical characteristics of the biomaterial is influenced by the mixing of liquid and powder and the various factors to modify the properties [5]. This includes temperature, humidity, and sterilization of the mixing environment. Inadequate mixing will result in a non-homogenous solution that will not have the full reaction potential.

Incorporating biomaterial into antibiotic loaded bone cement (ALBC) allows for the prevention and treatment of orthopedic infections and surgical aid. The method of mixing ALBC affects the release of the antibiotics and mechanical properties of the material. The mixture must be as porous as possible to increase the spread of antibiotics, but not too much that the structure of the material is weakened [6]. Manually mixing the solution will reduce the strength of the cement by 36% as compared to industrially prepared mixtures [3].

Biomaterials can be used to fill support, bone, and osteoarticular tissues through injection. The mixing during the aqueous phase determines the rheological properties and viscoelasticity of the composition.Using natural polymers in the production of biomaterial means a higher change of biocompatibility due to similar or identical macromolecular substances that the biological environment will accept. A problem with using natural polymers is their tendency to decompose or undergo pyrolytic modifications because of temperature sensitivity [11].

When mixed with rotational impact blending, the mixture has uniform dispersion of HA and HDPE, although there must be multiple steps of coating the HDPE as there would be a high amount of powder loss during the process. [1] Turbulent flow from a mixer does not indicate how well the solution is mixed. A turbulent surface is a sign of lost mechanical energy. Instead, the surface should be as calm as possible to mix what is below the boundary layer and to interchange the surface boundary. Non-Newtonian fluids do not have fixed viscosity, but an apparent one that decreases as the product is stirred faster. Because of the thinning viscosity, an agitator is critical to
Laminar flow occurs due to molecular diffusion. By enhancing the diffusive effects, there is an increase in mixing between the two species. The species travel between the rolls and their molecules will be separated by the multi-directional rotation, thereby creating separate gaps that allow for the diffusive effect. This effect can also be achieved by increasing the contact area between the two species. With the design of the three-roll mill, there is more contact area due to structure and number of rolls. The design of the three-roll mill allows for the width between the rollers to be mechanically or hydraulically adjusted to provide control over the narrow distribution of the particles. By decreasing the size of the gap, the optimal particle dispersion can be achieved with less agglomerates.

Importance of Uniform Dispersion

Nano-particles can be made of inorganic or polymeric materials and be used as a surface for molecular assembly. To make nanoparticles biocompatible, a biological or molecular coating must bind with the bio-inorganic surface. Biological coatings include antibodies, biopolymers, and monolaters of small molecules.

The potential of the particles and its benefits relies on its solubility. Nano emulsions are colloidal dispersions of two immiscible liquids. It cannot be formed spontaneously and relies on an external shear force applied to break the larger droplets into smaller ones.Compressive strength and increase in strength of a biomaterial over time is an indicator of the setting reaction and stability of the biomaterial. Besides the composition, the uniformity of the distribution would affect the mechanical properties.

Biomaterials rely on the use of high throughput surface characterization (HTSC) which allows for correlation to physio-chemical properties and biological-material interaction. The quality of the biomaterial is affected by the level of nano-mixing. A problem with utilizing nanoparticles is that they are highly agglomerated. If used in a bulk composite, the material will lose surface area due to grain growth, decreasing the reaction potential [8]. Mixing of the reaction components is essential in creating a homogenous reaction environment for biological and chemical reactions. Devices such as biosensors depend on the mixed components which determine efficiency and resolution. In other applications, controlled mixing is important for studying reaction kinetics.

The size and distribution of size are critical due to the quantum-sized effects on the material properties. A narrow distribution of the particles would allow for the material to have very efficient fluorescent probes that emit a wide range of wavelengths. This is useful in the production of biomarkers. The core is responsible for the binding to both nanoparticle surface and various moieties such as antibodies and fluorophores.

The mechanical properties of biomaterial can be enhanced by creating a composite of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and reinforced with hydroxyapatite (HA). Fine particles of HA are used to coat each coarse HDPE particle. Uniform dispersion of the particles determines the characteristics of the material from the microstructure of the formed composite. [1]

Different Dispersion Methods 

High Shear Mixers

High shear mixers disperse the species into a main continuous phase, even if they are normally immiscible. It can homogenize, solubilize, disperse powders, and reduce particle size or accelerate reactions.
mixing the fluids properly [10].

Low Shear Mixers

Low shear designed impeller mixers, or agitators, are made to use the least amount of energy possible when mixing the species. The blades of the propellers are designed to have low drag and smooth flow. The result of low-shear mixing is increased stability and enhancement of solubility in an aqueous solution, but does not work as well for mixing dissimilar species. Another aspect of agitators is that the farther the material moves away from the impeller, there is reduction in the mixing action. To avoid this, the impeller size and speed are adjusted per the viscosity and having impellers with larger diameters would provide effective mixing [10].

Elliptical-Rotor Mixers

An elliptical-rotor type of mixer achieves a uniform and tight coating of the core particles with less particle loss. However, the gentle shear and compressive stress of the machine generates aggregates due to the embedment of fine particles and HDPE of core particles escaping the thick and loose coating layer during the operation. Because of the aggregates, there is weak bonding between the coated particles which leads to lower mechanical properties in the biomaterial. [1]

Dispersing with a Three Roll Mill

How a three roll mill works

A Three Roll Mill has three horizontally positioned rollers. Each roller rotates in an opposite direction from the adjacent roller with a tiny gap between them, creating tremendous shear force that finely disperses, mixes, refines or homogenizes viscous materials. The material is loaded between the feeder roll and the center roller. Due to the narrowing space between the rolls, most of the mixture is rejected to the feed region. The part that does make it through experiences very high shear force and disperses the pigment particles in the binder. As it comes out the other side, the material that remains on the center roll moves through to nip between the center roll and apron roll, experiencing even higher shear force due to the higher speeds. A blade automatically scrapes the processed mixture off the apron roll transfers it to the apron. The three roll milling cycle is repeated many times until the material is perfectly dispersed and the particle size is in the good range.
Mechanical mixing decreases the amount of air-filled spaces between the particles, leading to an increase

in the wetted surface and improve the uniformity of the material. [2] The result is the fluids stretching and folding, inducing a chaotic advection effect that promotes species mixing. The laminar flow of the machine allows for the two species to merge into one stream. This has been shown to create a mixing distance of 300 μm instead of the average 3000 μm of turbulent mixing that must fully mix the two streams in a conventional straight channel [3].

Torrey Hills T65 Three Roll Mill

By mixing the species laminarly, the species will combine due to the surface tension effects of the roll that causes the molecules to be pushed together and form a single layer. The repeated rolling cycles result in constantly changing flow lines within the liquid mix. This is a self-folding effect and it improves the mixing performance. Having a slanted well provides the lateral transport that ensures the mixing of two confluent streams. The vertical fluid motions improve the homogenization process. A way to decrease the mixing time is to vary the flow rates of the three-roll mill. A higher difference between the flow rates will focus the stream and its mixing pass. Use of rollers provides the high shear force to integrate the nanoparticles into the material, but does not apply it in a way to cause shear stress on the sensitive biomaterials due to the rolling motion used for mixing.

Conclusion

The quality and characteristics of biomaterials depend on the components used and the dispersion of the particles within the solution. Inconsistent dispersion will lead to reduced surface area, causing less efficiency in the bio-molecular reactions carried out by the material. Different types of mixing methods will affect the particle dispersion and the microstructure. Using turbulent fan motions, the shear force will disrupt the nanoparticles, while agitators do not provide consistent mixing. With the three-roll mill, the nanoparticles will evenly disperse throughout the polymers due to its high shear force, but will also avoid the formation of aggregates due to the rolling method. Because of these features, the production of biomaterials will be more efficient and yield a higher quality.

References:

1. Journal of Macromolecular Science, 2009, Pages 25-63
3.L Barnes, Ian Cooper, Method of mixing ALBC in book Biomaterials and Medical Device- Associated Infections, Published by Elsevier, 2014 pp. 187
4. Jhong JF, Venault A, Liu L, Zheng J, Chen SH, Higuchi A, Huang J, Chang Y. Introducing mixed-charge copolymers as wound dressing biomaterials. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. Volume 6, 2014, Pages 9858-70
5. Gauthier O, Muller R, von Stechow D, Lamy B, Weiss P, Bouler JM, Aguado E, Daculsi G. In vivo bone regeneration with injectable calcium phosphate biomaterial: a three-dimensional micro- computed tomographic, biomechanical and SEM study, Biomaterials, 2005, Pages 5444-5453
6. Wisse E, Biomaterials by the supramolecular control of nanofibers: a modular approach, Published by VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, 2010
7. Jian Wu, Patrick T. Mather, POSS Polymers: Physical Properties and Biomaterials Applications,
Journal of Macromolecular Science, 2009, Pages 25-63
8. Rajesh Dave, Ram Gupta, Robert Pfeffer, Sankaran Sundaresan, Maria Silvina Tomassone, Deagglomeration and Mixing of Nanoparticles, NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering

Conference, 2006

9. Y. Wang, et al., Engineering nanomedicines using stimuli-responsive biomaterials, Adv. Drug

Deliv. Rev. (2012), doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2012.01.003

10. Dave Grutzmacher, Three Important Considerations for Mixing Biomaterials, Proquip, 2015
<https://proquipinc.com/three-important-considerations-for-mixing-biomaterials/>

11. Buddy D. Ratner, Biomaterials Science: An Introduction to Materials in Medicine, Academic
Press, 2004 pp. 127-128
12. Stuart Kyle, Amalia Aggeli, Eileen Ingham, Michael J. McPherson, Production of self-
assembling biomaterials for tissue engineering, Trends Biotechnology, 2009, Pages 423-433
13. F.Fenouillot, P. Cassagnau, J.C Majeste, Uneven distribution of nanoparticles in immiscible
fluids: Morphology development in polymer blends, Elsevier, 2008 pp.1334-1349 

Making Soap

Soap Fabrication


Introduction [1]

The main uses of soap include bathing, washing, cleaning and other types of housekeeping.Soap acts as surfactant because it has surface active properties. When Soaps are dissolved in water, they can break dirt from the surfaces and emulsify oils. Moreover, in industry,soaps are important components of lubricants and sometimes used in textile spinning. Chemically, soap is a water-soluble sodium or potassium salts of long chain fatty acids. When triglycerides in fat/oil react with aqueous NaOH or KOH, they are converted into soap. The formation of soap is called the Saponification.

2. Raw Material [2]

The major raw materials of manufacturing soaps include fat and lye.

Fat:

Animal fat are lipid materials derived from animals and are composed of triglycerides. Physically, animal fats are solid. In the past, people can directly obtain the animal fat from a slaughterhouse. However, modern soapmakers use fat which has been processed into fatty acids. This new “fat” eliminates many impurities, and the byproduct will be water instead of glycerin. In addition to the animal fat, many vegetable fats, including coconut oil, palm kernel oil and olive oil are also used in soap making process today.

Lye:

Lye, or alkali are necessary components of soaps. The reaction between the lye and the fat is what we call saponification. Once the saponification (the reaction between the lye and the fat) is completed, all lye will convert into soap. The finished soap bar doesn’t contain any lye. There are two types of lye, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide is used for making solid soap. Potassium-based soap is called soft soap since it is a more water-soluble product than sodium-based soap. The combination of soft and solid soap is commonly used in shaving products or to make cream soaps.

Others:
Without dye, soap will be dull grey or brown. Modern manufacturers will add additives, abrasives, fragrances to enhance the color, texture, and scent of soap, making the soap more enticing to the consumer.

3. The Manufacturing Process [2]

The processes of soap manufacturing are various, including kettle boiling and continuous saponification. Today, some small soap manufacturers still use the kettle process which takes around four to eleven days to complete and can result in the quality of each batch being quite inconsistent due to the different kinds of oils. Engineers and scientists developed a more efficient method called the continuous process in 1940. This method is commonly used by large soap manufacturers all over the world nowadays. Soaps are made continuously rather than one batch each time in the continuous process. There are several improvements. Firstly, it just takes around six hours to complete one batch of soaps which is much quicker than the kettle process. Secondly, the technicians can easily do the quality control of all the finished goods.

3.1 The Ketal Process:

Boiling:

A kettle is a steel tank which can stand as high as three stories, holding several thousand pounds of material simultaneous. Steam coils within the kettle heat the batch and then boil them. After boiling, the fat reacts with the alkali to produce soap and glycerin.

Salting:

The purpose of the salting is to divide the soap and glycerin. The mixture of soap and glycerin is treated with soap. As a result, the soap will rise to the top and the glycerin will settle to the very bottom. Then extracting the glycerin from the bottom of the kettle.

Strong Change:
The strong caustic solution is added into the kettle in order to remove the small amounts of unsaponified fat. Then boiling the saponified fat again. The manufacturer could either do the salt treatment at this time or proceed to the next step.

Pitching:
 The last step is called “pitching”. Firstly, the left soap in the kettle will be boiled for one more time with water. The semi-finished products will separate into two different layers. The top layer contains about 70% of soap and 30% water. We call it “neat soap”. The lower layer which is called “nigre” is almost the impurities including dirt, salt and water. The neat soap is taken off and cooled in the end. The finishing process is the same for both kettle and continuous process.

3.2 Continuous Process

Splitting:
The first step is to split natural fat into fatty acids and glycerin. The equipment is called hydrolyzer which is vertical stainless steel column with barrel. The height may up to 80 feet(24 meter). Pumps and meters attached to the column help to do the precise measurement.

Molten fat is pumped into one end of the steel column, meanwhile, at the other end, boiled water (266°F [130°C]) and pressure are introduced. This large container splits the fat into two different components, fatty acids and glycerin. During the process, there are continuous fatty acids and glycerin being pumped out as more fat and water enter. Then the fatty acids are distilled for purification.

Mixing:

Mixing the purified fatty acids with precise amount of alkali to form soap. The soapmakers can mix other ingredients such as fragrance and abrasives simultaneously to make attractive scent. The hot liquid soap can then incorporate with air.

Cooling and Finishing:
The soap may be poured into modes or large slabs and can be cooled in special freezers. The slabs will then be cut into smaller bar sized pieces. The entire continuous process, from splitting to finishing, can be accomplished just in couple hours.

4. Soap Mill and Refining Process [3]

Addition to the basic process, most soap will undergo milling. Soapmakers use a three roll mill to refine the soap. Refining grinds all the particles into small sizes. Three roll mill is used to improve the fineness and homogeneity of the one product. As a result, the milled bars will have finer consistency and thus lather up better than the non-milled ones. The cooled soap is then crushed and kneaded after being fed through three roll mill. During the milling, fragrances and abrasives can be better incorporated since volatile oils don’t evaporate in the cold mixture. After the soap emerges from three roll mill, it becomes more smooth and extrudes. Then cutting the extruded soap into bar size. The last step is to stamp and wrap the finished goods. The most significant parameter of a three roll mill is the gap between the last two rolls. The advisable gap should be 0.15 or 0.20mm. The increasing or decreasing of the gap may lead to the difference of production rate.

References:
1. Saponification-The process of Making Soap, http://amrita.olabs.edu.in/?sub=73&brch=3&sim=119&cnt=1 
2. http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Soap.html

3. http://www.soapworld.biz/soap-roll-mill.html 

Make Your World Safer and Cleaner

Make Your World Safer and Cleaner

Here are just a few things our three roll mills can whip up - but the possibilities are endless!

Makeup

Our three rill mill has been used to mill organic materials to make exceptional lipsticks, mascaras, and nail polishes. Worried that you are putting chemicals and artificial colors all over your beautiful skin? The safe alternatives contain no parabens, toxins, artificial colors, and nut products.

Fuel Cells

Fuel cells are clean and green cells. They work without polluting the environment. Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that transform the chemical energy of a fuel into electricity generating water as a by-product. Fuel cells are most used in space flights but they can be best utilized in electric vehicles to reduce air pollution. Three roll mill is used in the making of metal and ceramic pastes in a fuel cell. 

Paints & Inks 

It's both fun and thoughtful to make organic/all natural paints that are safe for children. Now parents can relax knowing that the artist colors and face paints their kids use are free of nano particles, heavy metals, parabens, phthalates and formaldehyde.

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See how one of our three machines that can process these Items with ease.

What is Buy American Act and What Does It Mean to You?

Buy American Act

As Defined by Wikipedia, The Buy American Act was... "passed in 1933 by Congress and signed by President Hoover on his last full day in office (March 3, 1933), required the United States government to prefer U.S.-made products in its purchases. Other pieces of federal legislation extend similar requirements to third-party purchases that utilize federal funds, such as highway and transit programs". 

My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."- John F. Kennedy
In certain government procurements, the requirement purchase may be waived by the Contracting Officer or the Head of the Contracting Activity (HCA) if the domestic product is 25% or more expensive than an identical foreign-sourced product, if the product is not available domestically in sufficient quantity or quality, or if doing so is in the public's interest.

The Buy American Act in general, restricts the purchase of supplies, that are not domestic end products, for use within the United States. The act imposes a two-part test (source https://www.gao.gov/products/105519 (1) The end-product must be manufactured in the United States, and (2) more than 50 percent of the cost of all the component parts must also be manufactured in the United States.If a product meets this two-part test, then a product can be considered a "domestic end product" under the Buy American Act.But the DOD issued a final rule amending the DFARS 252.225-7000 and 252.225-7001 provision and clause which includes a partial waiver to the two-part test.The waiver allows a Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) item to be treated as a domestic end product if it is manufactured in the U.S., without tracking the origin of the item's components.

Our award winning company Torrey Hills Technologies, LLC, manufactures three roll mills and related lab equipment in San Diego, California. We were presented 2013 Tibbetts Award in White House, among 18 companies country wide, cited for Excellent in Small Business Innovation Research. 
Currently we are exporting our three roll mills and belt furnaces to 60+ different countries. We are proud to say that our three roll mills are Buy American Act compliant.

EXPLORING THE CAUSE OF AGING AND ANTI-AGING SOLUTIONS

Is It Possible To Restore Apperance?

While it's true that aging is associated with natural changes in dynamic biological, physiological, environmental, behavioral, and social processes, there have been many advances in the field of anti-aging over the years. Is it possible to restore a youthful appearance past a certain age? Science says yes. Some age-related changes are particularly annoying, including graying hair, dry skin, visible pores, wrinkles, and a decrease in cell turnover. However, there are variety of way to slowdown aging these days. 

Top Methods of Anti-Aging

First and foremost, a healthy diet has been found to be paramount for maintaining wellness and slowing down the aging process. Saturated fats, fried foods and sugars can increase long-term inflammation throughout the body, and inflammation is known to speed up the aging process. Proper nutrition is crucial when trying to reduce chronic inflammation. Additionally, introducing a periodic fast has also been found to boost the body's ability to heal and repair damaged cells, but this should be discussed with your doctor first. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle has also shown to slow the progression of aging. This includes minimizing stress levels, regulating sleep patterns, avoiding UV exposure and using sun protection, as well as regularly exercising and drinking water. Monitoring proper hormone levels is also important, as hormone levels can decline with age and then alter the skin's appearance. 

In addition to diet and other lifestyle considerations, nutraceuticals can also help to slowdown aging. A nutraceutical can be defined as a bioactive substance that is isolated from food to provide health benefits (collagen, for example). These healthy supplements can help neutralize free radicals and delay aging. Nutraceuticals can provide extra support that wouldn't be possible to obtain from diet alone. 

When seeking anti-aging results, both internal and external options are important to consider. Targeting specific areas of concern is also possible with topical anti-aging skin products such as creams, moisturizers, gels, oils, serums, masks, and other cosmetics. Topical medication can be formulated to address specific issues and achieve therapeutic results. 

The method used to prepare and formulate an anti-aging product can be significant in its effectiveness. Certain methods can be used to enhance the mixture and delivery of anti-aging solutions, including nutraceuticals and skin care products. For instance, the technique of compounding allows for tailored blends that are customized to exact individual needs. Ingredients can be compounded with mixing equipment, such as a three roll mill. A three roll mill has three horizontally positioned rollers. Each roller rotates in an opposite direction from the adjacent roller with a tiny gap between them, creating tremendous shear force that can finely disperse, mix, or refine viscous materials. Three roll mills are far more precise than older compounding methods, like using a mortar and pestle.

The Highly Essential Machine To Create These Products

Three roll mills offer the advantage of creating perfectly homogenous mixtures, which is essential when assessing anti-aging products with experimental trials, etc. For example, it is important for all experimental samples to be precisely prepared so that the results aren't skewed. To aid in this purpose, Torrey Hill Technologies (THT) has created the award-winning T65 model three roll mill, which is primarily used in laboratory research for sample preparation and assessment of anti-aging beauty cosmetics and topical medication. THT offers a variety of mills to meet the requirements of different situations and products, including a Botanical/Herbal Cream Milldesigned to disperse anti-aging essential oils or botanical powders into a cream base.

To Conclude

These days, there is an increasing demand for individualized anti-aging solutions. The global market is seeing exponential growth for consumer demand of natural, safe and useful products to deal with the signs of aging. Industries all around the world are focused on developing anti-aging products every day that are more and more effective. Without a doubt, the science of anti-aging has something to offer everyone.

What Makes Mom Happy?

Kids? Beauty? Health? Sweet Treats? All of the above! Find out how a three roll mill does it for moms

Baby Diaper Rash Cream

A mom can give her child fast relief from diaper rash by applying various ointments and creams to the affected area. There are a few active ingredients that are known to work best at healing and protecting. Zinc oxide, for example, is usually present in creams in concentrations of 10 to 40 percent. Running all the ingredients through our three roll mill helps produce a homogeneous mixture.

Baby Sun Screen

Mineral-based sunscreens are best for babies. Zinc oxide is the primary active ingredient. It stays on top of a baby's skin to physically block rays. A three roll mill disperses zinc oxide evenly in the cream to achieve a smooth texture to apply on a baby.

Anti-Aging Creams

Besides all the anti-aging products moms can buy from the beauty counters, there are compounded anti-aging creams that are prescribed by a doctor. Many of our pharmacy customers bought ointment mills to make such creams! The active ingredients can be many things such as glycolic acid, tretinoin, arginine, ascorbic acid, hyaluronic acid, lactic acid, nicotinamide, retinol, and tocopherol.

Makeup

I bet when moms have time for themselves, they love to be pampered and enjoy a makeover. Cosmetics with either rich or natural colors are moms' friends. A three roll mill helps disperse agglomerated pigment particles into a moisturizing base. That's how the best makeup products are made.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hormones affect many areas of a woman's health. Although sometimes controversial, compounded hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been practiced to restore balance. HRT is most often prescribed to ease the symptoms of menopause, but it also can be used to treat a variety of conditions such as Pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), irregular menstrual cycle, moodiness, infertility, post-partum depression, weight gain, endometriosis, fibrocystic breasts, sleep disturbances, and night sweats.

Chocolates and Chocolate Nut Pastes

Chocolate and its varied forms are probably moms' favorite confection. Do you know what makes a chocolate product stand out? The particle size has to be reduced to around 25 microns. That's when you can feel all the difference in its smoothness. A three roll mill is the ultimate refining tool. It has been recorded that three roll mill was used to mill chocolate as early as 1915. Best chocolates for the best moms!

You can also read this article online at https://threerollmill.com/mothersday2016.html. 

This information is brought to you by Torrey Hills Technologies, LLC, San Diego, CA 92121. We export heat sinks, belt furnaces and three roll mills to over 60 countries.

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The Art of Making Chocolate

Introduction

Chocolate and its varied forms (candy bars, cocoa, cakes, cookies, coating for other candies and fruits) are probably most people’s favorite confection. Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central, and South America, with its earliest documented use around 1100 BC. The majority of the Mesoamerican people made chocolate beverages, including the Aztecs, who made it into a beverage known as Xochitl, a Nahuatl word meaning "bitter water.” The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste and must be fermented to develop the flavor.


Raw Materials

The primary components of chocolate are cocoa beans, sugar or other sweeteners, flavoring agents, and sometimes potassium carbonate (the agent used to make so-called dutch cocoa).

The Manufacturing Process

Once a company has received a shipment of cocoa beans at its processing plant, the beans are roasted, first on screens and then in revolving cylinders through which heated air is blown. Over a period of 30 minutes to 2 hours, the moisture in the beans is reduced from about seven percent to about one percent. The roasting process triggers a browning reaction, in which more than 300 different chemicals present in the cocoa beans interact. The beans now begin to develop the rich flavor we associate with chocolate. Roasting also causes the shells to open and break away from the nibs (the meat of the bean). This separation process can be completed by blowing air across the beans as they go through a giant winnowing machine called a cracker and fanner, which loosens the hulls from the beans without crushing them. The hulls, now separated from the nibs, are usually sold as either mulch or fertilizer. They are also sometimes used as commercial boiler fuel. Next, the roasted nibs undergo broyage, a process of crushing that takes place in a grinder made of revolving granite blocks. The design of the grinder may vary, but most resemble old-fashioned flour mills. The final product of this grinding process, made up of small particles of the nib suspended in oil, is a thick syrup known as chocolate liquor.
The next step is refining, during which the liquor is further ground between sets of revolving metal drums. The widely-used machine is roll mill (2 or 3 rolls). It has been recorded that the three roll mill was used to mill chocolate as early as 1915. Each successive rolling is faster than the preceding one because the liquor is becoming smoother and flows easier. The ultimate goal is to reduce the size of the particles in the liquor to about .001 inch (.00254 centimeters).
If the chocolate being produced is to be cocoa powder, from which hot chocolate and baking mixes are made, the chocolate liquor may be dutched, a process so-named because it was invented by the Dutch chocolate maker Conrad van Houten. In the dutching process, the liquor is treated with an alkaline solution, usually potassium carbonate, that raises its pH from 5.5 to 7 or 8. This increase darkens the color of the cocoa, renders its flavor beoming milder, and reduces the tendency of the nib particles to form clumps in the liquor. The powder that eventually ensues is called dutch cocoa.

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This information is brought to you by Torrey Hills Technologies, LLC. We export Heat sinks, Belt Furnaces, and Three Roll Mills to 60+ countries and are located in San Diego, CA 92121.


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