UK start-up focuses on particle modelling
package designed to analyse the behaviour of particulate material -
including powders and tablets - in enclosed spaces.
The DigiPac programme will allow companies in the pharmaceutical and other industries to develop 'virtual' models of industrial processes, identifying problems and refining designs before spending money on constructing the manufacturing line, said the company, which has been spun out of the University of Leeds' commercial arm TechTran.
For industries involved in handling, fabricating components or designing processes using particulates, the ability to understand their behaviour during an industrial process is crucial to manufacturing performance, quality control and product packaging.
DigiPac produces accurate 3D models of the particle structures and can simulate the environmental and physical conditions at a microscopic level. Add-on software modules allow 'what if' analyses to model a variety of industrial or manufacturing conditions, such as gas permeability, heat transfer, force distribution and flow dynamics, and the effect these have on the overall process.
It is based on the research of Professor Richard Williams, a specialist in colloid technology and particle science at the University of Leeds' School of Process, Environmental and Materials Engineering
"The beauty of DigiPac is that it lets the client visualise processes that take place often at a microscopic level," said Prof Williams. It saves time and money by enabling virtual problem solving and performance enhancement of industrial processes that are usually not seen because they take place inside machinery, he added.
The software is scalable and can be used to model a variety of different particulates, such as large catalyst packings found within petrochemical refining, down to ultra-small powders utilised in pharmaceutical drug development.
"We have found that the size, shape and distribution of particulate incipients (ingredients) can affect their ultimate performance as catalysts, drugs, coatings or whatever," continued Williams.
This is particularly important to the pharmaceutical and speciality chemicals sector where these factors make the difference between something working or not. For example, certain active drug ingredients are insoluble in water so the uptake of this by the body is directly related to particle size.
Structure Vision's target market is widespread across several industrial sectors but it said it will initially target the pharmaceutical and chemical industries.
