Method for producing particles and apparatus for producing particles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9611376-B2
Application number	US-201314434338-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2013
Priority date	Nov 13, 2012
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

To provide a method for producing particles, which contains: bringing a compressive fluid and a pressure plastic material into contact with each other using a multistage split flow micromixer, to thereby produce a melt of the pressure plastic material, in which the compressive fluid is dissolved; and jetting the melt of the pressure plastic material, to form particles, wherein the pressure plastic material is a resin having a carbonyl structure —C(═O)—, and wherein a viscosity of the melt is 500 mPa·s or lower, as measured under temperature and pressure conditions at the time of the jetting the melt of the pressure plastic material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing particles, the method comprising:
bringing a compressive fluid and a pressure plastic material into contact with each other using a multistage split flow micromixer to produce a melt of the pressure plastic material, in which the compressive fluid is dissolved; and
jetting the melt of the pressure plastic material to form particles,
wherein
the pressure plastic material is a resin comprising a carbonyl structure —C(═O)—, and
the melt has a viscosity of 500 mPa·s or lower, as measured under temperature and pressure conditions at the time of the jetting.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the multistage split flow micromixer comprises:
a compressive fluid split section configured to split and guide the compressive fluid into a plurality of circular tube flow channels, after the compressive fluid is flown into the multistage split flow micromixer;
a double tube mixing section comprising a double tube structure composed of an inner tube into which the compressive fluid is flown, and an outer tube surrounding the inner tube, into which the pressure plastic material is flown, where a number of the double tube mixing section is identical to a split number of the compressive fluid split section in a downstream area from the compressive fluid split section, and is configured to mix the compressive fluid and the pressure plastic material to form a contracted flow;
a contracted flow combining section, which is provided in a downstream area from the double tube mixing section, and is configured to combine contracted flows formed by a plurality of the double tube mixing section to form a mixed fluid;
a first split kneading section, which is provided in a downstream area from the contracted flow combining section, and contains a plurality of circular tube flow channels that divide the first split kneading section, in each of which the mixed fluid is flown; and
a second split kneading section comprising circular tube flow channels, a number of which is not identical to a number of the circular tube flow channels of the first split kneading section, and which are provided in positions that are not coaxial to the circular tube flow channels of the first split kneading section.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the viscosity of the melt is 150 mPa·s or lower.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in the bringing, the pressure plastic material is heated and melted in advance.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the compressive fluid comprises supercritical carbon dioxide, or liquid carbon dioxide.

6. Particles obtained by a method comprising:
bringing a compressive fluid and a pressure plastic material into contact with each other using a multistage split flow micromixer to produce a melt of the pressure plastic material, in which the compressive fluid is dissolved; and
jetting the melt of the pressure plastic material to form particles,
wherein
the pressure plastic material is a resin comprising a carbonyl structure —C(═O)—,
the melt is has a viscosity of 500 mPa·s or lower, as measured under temperature and pressure conditions at the time of the jetting, and
the particles are substantially free from an organic solvent.

7. An apparatus for producing particles, the apparatus comprising:
a melting unit configured to bring a compressive fluid and a pressure plastic material into contact with each other using a multistage split flow micromixer to produce a melt of the pressure plastic material, in which the compressive fluid is dissolved; and
a granulating unit configured to jet the melt of the pressure plastic material to form the particles,
wherein
the pressure plastic material is a resin comprising a carbonyl structure —C(═O)—, and
the melt has a viscosity of 500 mPa·s or lower, as measured under temperature and pressure conditions at the time of jetting the melt of the pressure plastic material.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the multistage split flow micromixer comprises:
a compressive fluid split section configured to split and guide the compressive fluid into a plurality of circular tube flow channels, after the compressive fluid is flown into the multistage split flow micromixer;
a double tube mixing section comprising a double tube structure composed of an inner tube into which the compressive fluid is flown, and an outer tube surrounding the inner tube, into which the pressure plastic material is flown, where a number of the double tube mixing section is identical to a split number of the compressive fluid split section in a downstream area from the compressive fluid split section, and is configured to mix the compressive fluid and the pressure plastic material to form a contracted flow;
a contracted flow combining section, which is provided in a downstream area from the double tube mixing section, and is configured to combine contracted flows formed by a plurality of the double tube mixing section to form a mixed fluid;
a first split kneading section, which is provided in a downstream area from the contracted flow combining section, and comprises a plurality of circular tube flow channels that divide the first split kneading section, in each of which the mixed fluid is flown; and
a second split kneading section comprising circular tube flow channels, a number of which is not identical to a number of the circular tube flow channels of the first split kneading section, and which are provided in positions that are not coaxial to the circular tube flow channels of the first split kneading section.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the melting unit comprises a plurality of the multistage split flow micromixers connected to each other.

Assignees

• Osaka Keiko
• Tanaka Chiaki
• Suzuki Akira
• Kawasaki Shinichiro
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Osaka Keiko
• Tanaka Chiaki
• Suzuki Akira
• Kawasaki Shinichiro

Classifications

• B29B7/32

  with non-movable mixing or kneading devices · CPC title

• G03G9/081

  by mixing the toner components in a liquefied state; melt kneading; reactive mixing · CPC title

• B01J2/04 Primary

  in a gaseous medium {(if combined with suspending the material in a gas, e.g. fluidised beds B01J2/16)} · CPC title

• B29B9/10

  by moulding the material, i.e. treating it in the molten state · CPC title

• C08K5/3417 Primary

  condensed with carbocyclic rings · CPC title