Low-Contamination Powder Processing

MeltPrep Vibratory Crucible Melting (VCM) is a crucible-based vibratory melting technique that produces ultra-clean, highly spherical metal powders.

VCM enables the fabrication of ultra-clean, compositionally controlled powders, providing a reliable materials platform for advanced biomedical applications such as drug-delivery systems, biodegradable implants, and functional medical devices.

What is VCM Technology?

VCM (Vacuum Compression Molding) allows the mg-to-g scale screening of new formulations for hot-melt extrusion (HME). VCM is a process that transforms thermoplastic materials into homogeneous specimens without altering the source materials’ characteristics due to degradation.

Fast Material Development

Pellets or powder etc.

Perfect samples

Step 1 : Vacuum compaction

The desired amount of materials is filled into the VCM Tool. Vacuum is applied, compacting the powder as well as preventing bubbles.

Step 2 : Melting

Rapid melting is achieved by heating the VCM Tool on a preheated hot plate. Particles fuse to create a homogenous melt.

Step 3 : Cooling

Rapid cooling of the VCM Tool is obtained by convection and conduction on a separate cooling unit solidifying the sample.

Milligram Capacity

The VCM Process holds the balance between input and output material. It’s the first lossless approach to melt samples into a defined shape without air inclusions. With 1 gram of powder, you will obtain a cylindrical sample of 1 gram with a defined shape.

For certain applications, even 1 g may represent an excessively large material quantity; therefore, the VCM technology has been miniaturized to diameters as small as 2 mm. Rods with a 2 mm diameter can be produced with heights ranging from 0.1 mm to 10 mm, enabling high-throughput screening and accurate material characterization starting from the low milligram range.

A dedicated small-volume powder mixer is available for the MeltPrep system.