by Todd Naranjo, Senior Business Development Manager
In industries where particle size and purity are critical, jet milling offers unmatched advantages. Whether you’re formulating electronics, cosmetics, or specialty chemicals, achieving ultra-fine, contamination-free powders can make or break your product’s performance. At AVEKA, we specialize in advanced particle processing, and jet milling is one of the most powerful tools in our capabilities portfolio.
What is Jet Milling?
Jet milling is a high-energy micronization process that uses compressed gas to create collisions between particles. Unlike mechanical grinding, which uses moving parts, jet milling accelerates particles within a chamber and relies on particle-to-particle collisions to achieve size reduction. This means there is no contact with milling media, drastically reducing the risk of contamination.
Key Advantages of Jet Milling
- No Heat Generation: Ideal for heat-sensitive materials such as biologically active compounds.
- Contamination-Free Processing: No mechanical parts touching the product minimizes contamination risk.
- Ultra-Fine Particle Sizes: Achieve sub-10 micron or even sub-5 micron particle sizes depending on material properties.
- Narrow Particle Size Distribution: Excellent control over particle uniformity.
Jet Milling vs. Other Milling Techniques
|
Feature |
Jet Milling |
Ball Milling |
Hammer Milling |
|
Contact-Free Process |
✅ |
❌ |
❌ |
|
Generates Heat |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Fineness of Powder |
Sub-10 micron |
1–100 microns |
50–5000 microns |
|
Contamination Risk |
Low |
Moderate |
High |
Jet milling excels in applications requiring tight tolerances, minimal contamination, and extremely fine particle sizes. However, it may not be necessary or cost-effective for coarser or more robust materials, where ball milling or hammer milling may suffice.
Common Jet Milled Applications
- Specialty Chemicals: Such as pigments, catalysts, and optical materials.
- Advanced Ceramics: For high-performance materials requiring extreme purity.
What to Consider When Choosing a Jet Milling Manufacturer
Not all jet milling systems — or manufacturers — are created equal. Look for:
- Material Handling Experience: Can they safely process your unique material type?
- Scale and Throughput Options: From R&D batches to full-scale production.
- Quality Assurance: Are they equipped for cGMP or other regulatory requirements?
- In-House Technical Support: Expertise in troubleshooting and optimizing process parameters.
AVEKA’s Jet Milling Capabilities
AVEKA offers jet milling services with:
- Particle size reduction to as low as <5 microns
- Cosmetic cGMP-compliant options
- Materials ranging from non-combustible dusts such as ceramics, minerals, and glasses – to combustible dusts such as polymers, graphites, and waxes.
- Lab, Pilot, and Production-scale equipment
Our team of experienced process engineers and scientists works closely with you to determine if jet milling is the right approach for your product — and how to execute it effectively.
Let’s Talk Precision
If your product demands high purity, tight particle control, and ultra-fine sizing, jet milling may be the answer. Contact AVEKA to discuss your application and learn how we can help you through the valley of scale-up and production challenges.
Contact Us or Request a Quote today.