Your business’s formulation might be perfect when produced at small scales, but the moment you try to grow your operation, you get into trouble. When you put it together in the lab it was fine, but now you’re trying to scale it, it doesn’t seem to be working any more.
What’s going on?
That’s where this post can help. It looks at scaling your formulation so you can get the results you want. Here’s what to do:
Perfect Your Formula In The Lab
The first step is to perfect your formula in the lab. You want the pH, viscosity and mixing to all be perfect.
Once you have a prototype working in this lab, you know that producing your product is possible. The only challenge is scaling it, so this is an essential first stage.
Run Pilot Batches
The next step in the process is to run pilot batches. These tell you if your product is feasible and whether you should continue investing in it the way you have been.
Usually, you will find that you encounter problems when you produce batches, so figuring out what’s going wrong with scaling is essential. Many manufacturers find that they have to flow down their processes to ensure that they work at scale, which can be problematic.
Optimize Mixing Vessels
As you grow the amount of formulation you need to produce, you also need to optimize the mixing vessels. Sites like visimix.com explain this in more detail, but the issue is probably more complex than you might think. These vessels don’t always behave the way you want them to, and when you start scaling chemicals, the way they behave can alter (compared to the lab, by contrast).
For example, mixing timing for small quantities usually only takes a few seconds. However, that time can rise to 20 minutes or more for large batches.
Ensure You Use Scalable Ingredients
At the same time, you also need to check you are using scalable ingredients. Many elements in your formulation will work at a small scale, but not at a much larger one.
Don’t use ingredients that will quickly degrade or react with the other compounds you want to include in your formulation, as these could wreck the feel or the quality of the product, according to www.sciencedirect.com.
Improve Heating And Cooling
Another issue has to do with heating and cooling. Small batches can be heated gently, but this is more challenging when volumes rise, and can take more time.
The general rule of thumb with emulsions is that no ingredient should come closer than 10% of the way to its melting point. If it does, then you may need to add additional ingredients to prevent the melting from taking place, which could affect the consistency and feel of the product.
Partner With A Contract Manufacturer
Finally, instead of trying to calibrate all the machinery and processes yourself, work with a contract manufacturer. Get a third party to assist you if you can so you don’t wind up getting stuck later on.
