Milling Materials Into Microparticles - Even in the Most Complex Situations

The Israeli company Superfine specializes in one of the most common processes in the process industries: milling of materials to fine powders. "Most people in the world don't even know that many finished products we know go through a milling phase during the production process," explains Amram Eitan, the CEO of the company. "In the healthcare, food, cosmetics, and chemical industries, milling plays a very significant role."

The company, founded during the early 2000s in the Kiryat Shmona technological incubator, was established to develop innovative milling technology, based on research by Dr. Yan Beliavsky. In his research, Beliavsky focused on the flow of vortices of gases, similar to the vortices that create tornadoes. Based on the physical principles he discovered, Superfine developed the Vortex mill: a milling technology for fine particles that is not based on mechanical force but on gas turbulence. In the milling process developed by the company, the powerful vortex breaks down the raw material into micro-meter particles accurately and effectively.

"Until we reached the market, common milling technologies were based on the same principle as decades ago: applying mechanical force," Eitan says. "But milling by mechanical force has obvious drawbacks. Think, for example, of milling paper: no matter how many times we hit paper with a mill blade, we won't be able to disintegrate it to its components. Mechanical milling cannot mill soft, energy-absorbing materials such as polymers. In such cases, it may be necessary to freeze the material to make the process possible. Moreover, in some situations, mechanical milling produces poor quality particles or impairs the quality of the material itself. That's where our breakthrough at Superfine comes in. Our advanced method made it possible, for the first time, to perform high-quality milling of fine powders with highly uniform particle sizes, even of materials that traditional methods could not handle. Few examples are polymers, proteins and natural products."

Today, Superfine is located in the Kidmat Hagalil industrial zone, near Tiberias (an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee) and its employees work in research, development, and production positions. The company operates by providing services or establishing collaborations with companies in various fields. Superfine provides equipment, consultancy and services to manufacturers world-wide.

The technology developed by Superfine has many uses. One of the first projects the company was involved in was in the field of paper recycling, dismantling paper into the original fibers from which it was manufactured without compromising its quality, so that it is possible to produce high-quality recycled paper from it. The company's technology has applications in various fields, from soft materials such as polymers, wax, and natural products to very hard materials such as carbide ceramics. The company also supplies mills to the pharmaceutical industry.

Advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing
"When it comes to drugs, the size of the crystals in the powder is critical for drug performance," says Guy Samburski, VP of Business Development. "When we take an antibiotic pill, the ability of the active ingredient to be efficiently absorbed in the body, depends on the size of the crystals. Most powders can be ground using conventional methods, but the technology of Superfine helps process those products that require gentler handling, like anti-cancer drugs, or very significant size reduction such as inhalation drugs. Our technology is much more precise and efficient than all types of mechanical milling; we can also reach sub-micron particles, even under the most complicated conditions."

A prominent example of the groundbreaking uses of Superfine milling technology is the production of drugs to treat blood clots. "We are helping a major global company to produce a protein designed to treat blood clots. According to their research, the protein loses 40-50% of its activity using conventional methods. With our technology however, the protein maintains 90% or more of its quality."

Another use for the method developed by the company is in the production of food additives or superfoods. "We can take a variety of plant products - such as leaves, dried fruits, and protein substitutes - and grind them into powders without freezing and without compromising their nutritional value," emphasizes Samburski. "In this way, it is possible to produce various food additives that are especially suitable for the advanced food industry and meat substitutes. Recently, we have also entered the field of medical cannabis. We have established a subsidiary that manufacturs fine powder directly from fresh Cannabis buds for medical, cosmetics, food and well-being products. We are already active in this field in the US and hope to start operations in Israel as well."

GMP services for drug development
With Israeli biotech and Foodtech industries growing at a dizzying pace, Superfine offers its services to a new generation of young companies developing innovative drugs. "It is important to understand that startups face significant challenges when it comes to carrying out milling processes," notes Eitan. "When a small company decides to develop a drug, it is required to conduct various experiments. These experiments need to be conducted under GMP conditions in a clean room, but startups can't always afford to build a clean room with milling equipment at the clinical trial stage."

To help these startups, Superfine has set up a GMP state-of-the-art clean room with a glove compartment designed for milling substances for medicines. "In the clean room we set up, the Vortex mill is in a completely sealed glove compartment. In this way, the worker is protected during the work process and the product cannot contaminated during milling. In the new facility, we can provide a solution for innovation in the medical industry, from startups that need to grind a few grams to supplying material for clinical trials."

In association with Superfine