Issue 10, 2024

Pellet dispensomixer and pellet distributor: open hardware for nanocomposite space exploration via automated material compounding

Abstract

The development of novel polymer-based nanocomposites necessitates the experimental preparation and characterization of numerous compositions to identify optimal formulations. For thermoplastic-based materials, the compounding process typically involves the labor-intensive tasks of dispensing, weighing, mixing, and extruding solid components such as polymers and additives. Herein, we present an open hardware solution that aims to automate this process. Our setup system is designed to streamline material surveying tasks associated with experimental design or closed-loop, self-driving laboratories. Our hardware setup consists of two main components: a multi-material pellet dispenser, which simplifies the preparation of targeted compositions from a range of master batches, and a pellet collector-distributor, which efficiently gathers and distributes processed materials into various containers throughout the experiment.

Graphical abstract: Pellet dispensomixer and pellet distributor: open hardware for nanocomposite space exploration via automated material compounding

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Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
29 Jun 2024
Accepted
21 Aug 2024
First published
30 Aug 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Digital Discovery, 2024,3, 2032-2040

Pellet dispensomixer and pellet distributor: open hardware for nanocomposite space exploration via automated material compounding

M. Hernández-del-Valle, J. Ilarraza-Zuazo, E. Dios-Lázaro, J. Rubio, J. Audoux and M. Haranczyk, Digital Discovery, 2024, 3, 2032 DOI: 10.1039/D4DD00198B

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