Production of spherical and uniform‐sized particles using a laboratory ink‐jet spray dryer

There is a need in the area of particle technology and powder manufacturing to produce particles with uniform characteristics for attaining stringent product quality. In this paper, a new concept of spray drying is proposed to assess the possibility of adapting the same concept to industrial spray drying operations for producing spherical and uniform‐sized particles. This concept is based on ink‐jet technology, where single streams of identical droplets can be achieved using ink‐jet devices. The ink‐jet device, similar to nozzles found in office ink‐jet printers, was introduced to spray drying operations as an innovative atomizer because of its attractive ability to produce monodisperse droplets with a precise control over droplet characteristics. In this paper, a new concept of single stream drying and some calculations on feasibility of a newly built Ink‐Jet Spray Dryer (IJSD) are discussed. The single stream drying technique could provide a promising tool for producing uniform particles and also for testing and designing new products.