NETZSCH DeltaVita^® 1 – for Agrochemical R&D

Permanent development of AI-based formulations is necessary due to: 

• Responding to evolution of pests and diseases, as well as pesticide resistance to protect crops.

• Improving efficiency and safety while reducing toxicity in order to achieve a good environment ecology. Improving efficiency and safety while reducing toxicity in order to achieve a good environment ecology.

Therefore grinding & dispersing tests are conducted for feasibility study, process development and formulation screening of Suspensions (SC or OD) for Agrochemicals. Herein the aim is to keep the amount of sample to n absolute minimum. Best handling for operation and easy cleaning effort are basic requirements.

Due to high sensibility and high costs of the raw materials a machine running multiple batches simultaneously (parallel test) with lowest amount of samples is the key for such a request!

NETZSCH DeltaVita^® 1 – Dual Centrifugal Motion Laboratory Mill (picture 1)

Picture 1: DeltaVita® 1	Picture 2: Working principle ″Dual Centrifuge Motion″

The dual centrifuge is arranged almost horizontally at an angle of 40°. This results in decisive differences in the movement of the grinding media in the sample containers.

Working principle (picture 2)

The beads filled in the vials are accelerated to have impact stresses on the particles of material due to contrifugal acceleration, thus to reduce the size of the particles.

The grinding media movement of the DeltaVita® (picture 3) is generated in the horizontal arranged sample container. Due to the acting of centrifugal acceleration, the grinding media are constantly accelerated like a cloud from one end to the other end or from one cylinder wall to the opposite side. This results in a combination of impact and friction stresses that are very similar to the stress mechanisms in agitator bead mills.

Picture 3: Grinding Media activation principle

Properties & advantages of NETZSCH laboratory dual centrifuge DeltaVita^® 1 

• Compact design

• Efficient grinding & dispersing, e.g. only 15mins to process SC fomulation into particle

• Wide range of grinding media size 0.1 - 3mm general range of d90＜5μm

• Transferability of scale-up to bead mill for production

• Variable volume of vials/tubes 2/15/50/125ml for sample

• Small amount sample need (lowest amount < 1 ml)

• Maximum 40 samples allowed for parallel test

• Easy and flexible operation

• Coolable Process Chamber down to - 20°C

• No necessary cleaning just to exchange vials/tubes

Transferability of test results to production

	Similar results on DeltaVita® 1 can be transferred to scaleable Laboratory Agitator Bead Mills (picture 4) on which the specific energy input for requested product quality will be determined and so a scale-up to  production size mills can be carried out.
Picture 4: Transfer from R&D to production

SUMMARY 

• The new dual centrifuge DeltaVita^® 1 is a flexible multi-functional device

• With the DeltaVita^® 1 up to 40 samples can be processed in a coolable process chamber at the same time 

• With the DeltaVita^® 1, smallest amounts of material (< 1ml suspension) are required for feasibility studies and screenings 

• Results of investigations with the DeltaVita^® 1 are transferable to the technology of agitator bead mills

• With agitator bead mills and the dual centrifuge the same results occur if the same formulation as well as the same grinding media are used

This article will be published in the magazine of 2025  Formulation&Adjuvant Technology. Follow this magazine to read more articles/stories.

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