Case Study: Application of Mobile High-Shear Emulsifier in Cosmetic Cream Production
In the field of cosmetic production, the consistency of product texture, stability of emulsion system, and efficiency of production process are key factors that directly affect product quality and market acceptance. For enterprises engaged in the production of medium and small-batch cosmetic products, especially those involving multiple product categories and frequent formula adjustments, the flexibility and adaptability of production equipment have become important indicators for selecting production lines. This case study focuses on the practical application of a mobile high-shear emulsifier in the production of facial cream and body lotion, elaborating on the equipment's application background, operation process, problem-solving effects, and long-term application value, based on actual production practices.
1. Application Background
The enterprise involved in this case mainly engages in the research and production of skin care products, covering a variety of product types such as facial creams, body lotions, emulsions, and serums. Before introducing the mobile high-shear emulsifier, the enterprise faced several prominent problems in the production process: First, the traditional fixed emulsification equipment had a large volume and was difficult to move, which made it impossible to flexibly allocate production areas according to the production plan. Each production line could only be fixed for a certain type of product, resulting in low utilization rate of production space. Second, when switching between different product formulas, the cleaning and disinfection of fixed equipment took a long time (usually 4-6 hours), and there was a risk of cross-contamination between different batches and different types of products, which affected the stability of product quality. Third, for small-batch trial production of new formulas (batch volume 50-200L), the fixed equipment had high energy consumption and low production efficiency, and the small batch of materials was difficult to be fully emulsified and mixed, resulting in problems such as rough product texture and uneven dispersion of functional ingredients.
To solve the above problems, the enterprise conducted in-depth research on production equipment and finally selected a mobile high-shear emulsifier with a working volume of 100L-500L. The core consideration was that the equipment has the characteristics of flexible movement, compact structure, efficient emulsification, and easy cleaning, which can adapt to the production needs of small and medium batches, multiple varieties, and frequent formula switching. At the same time, the equipment meets GMP and FDA standards for cosmetic production, ensuring the safety and hygiene of the production process.
2. Equipment Overview and Installation
The mobile high-shear emulsifier adopted in this case integrates functions such as mixing, high-shear homogenization, emulsification, heating, cooling, and vacuum deaeration. The overall structure of the equipment is compact, with a length of 1.8 meters, a width of 1.2 meters, and a height of 2.5 meters. The bottom is equipped with four high-load universal wheels (with brake function), which can be easily moved on the flat ground of the workshop, and the movement resistance is small, which can be operated by a single person. The equipment's mixing tank, homogenizing head, scraper, and other parts in contact with materials are made of 316L stainless steel, with a mirror-polished inner surface (surface roughness Ra ≤ 0.4 μm), which is corrosion-resistant and easy to clean. The high-shear homogenizing head adopts a 4-stage stator-rotor structure, with a shear gap of 0.03-0.1 mm and a stepless speed regulation range of 3000-15000 rpm, which can generate strong shear force to break down material droplets into micro-particles.
The installation of the equipment is simple and convenient, without the need for professional foundation construction. It only needs to place the equipment in a flat and dry area of the workshop, connect the power supply (380V, 50Hz), cooling water pipeline, and compressed air pipeline (for auxiliary discharge), and complete the debugging after checking the tightness of each pipeline and the operation of the motor. The equipment's control system adopts a PLC touch screen, with a Chinese-English bilingual interface, which is easy to operate. Operators can master the basic operation methods after simple training (usually 1-2 days), including parameter setting, start-stop operation, and daily maintenance.
Compared with traditional fixed emulsification equipment, this mobile equipment does not need to occupy a fixed production area. It can be moved to the corresponding feeding area, mixing area, or discharge area according to the production process. For example, when producing facial cream, it can be moved to the raw material storage area for feeding, then moved to the constant temperature area for emulsification, and finally moved to the finished product packaging area for discharge, which greatly optimizes the layout of the production workshop and improves the utilization rate of production space.
3. Practical Application Process (Taking Facial Cream Production as an Example)
The enterprise mainly uses this mobile high-shear emulsifier to produce facial cream (oil-in-water type, viscosity 10000-30000 mPa·s) and body lotion (oil-in-water type, viscosity 5000-15000 mPa·s). The following takes the production of facial cream (batch volume 200L) as an example to detail the application process and operation points of the equipment.
3.1 Pre-Production Preparation
Before starting production, operators first check the integrity of the equipment, including the operation of the motor, the tightness of the vacuum system, the smoothness of the cooling water pipeline, and the wear of the homogenizing head. At the same time, the mixing tank, homogenizing head, scraper, and other parts are cleaned and disinfected. The cleaning process adopts the CIP automatic cleaning system equipped with the equipment. After injecting cleaning agents (neutral detergent and pure water) into the tank, the cleaning nozzles (360-degree rotation) are started to clean the inner wall of the tank and the surface of the components. The cleaning time is about 30 minutes, and then the residual cleaning agents are rinsed with pure water, and finally, the tank is dried with hot air (temperature 70-80℃) to avoid cross-contamination between batches.
According to the facial cream formula, the raw materials are prepared, including water phase (deionized water, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, etc.), oil phase (vegetable oil, mineral oil, beeswax, etc.), powder additives (titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, etc.), and functional ingredients (vitamin E, plant extract, etc.). All raw materials are filtered through a 200-mesh filter screen to remove impurities, ensuring that no solid particles enter the mixing tank to avoid wear of the homogenizing head and affecting the emulsification effect.
3.2 Feeding and Pre-Mixing
Operators push the mobile high-shear emulsifier to the feeding area, fix the universal wheels with brakes to prevent the equipment from moving during operation. Open the feeding port cover of the mixing tank, first add the prepared water phase raw materials into the tank (about 120L), then add the oil phase raw materials (about 80L) in sequence, and close the feeding port cover tightly. Start the frame-type mixing paddle (speed 40 rpm) for pre-mixing, and at the same time start the heating system to heat the materials to 65-70℃. The heating method adopts electric heating, with a heating power of 15 kW, and the temperature fluctuation accuracy is ±1℃. During the pre-mixing process, the scraper paddle closely attached to the inner wall of the tank continuously scrapes off the materials adhered to the wall, avoiding local overheating of the materials and ensuring that the water phase and oil phase are initially mixed evenly.
In the pre-mixing stage, the mobile feature of the equipment shows obvious advantages. Compared with fixed equipment, operators do not need to transport raw materials to the fixed production line, which reduces the labor intensity of handling and avoids material loss during transportation. At the same time, if there is a shortage of raw materials during the feeding process, the equipment can be quickly moved to the raw material storage area for supplementary feeding, which improves the flexibility of the production process.
3.3 High-Shear Homogenization and Emulsification
After the pre-mixing is completed and the material temperature reaches the set value (65-70℃), start the vacuum pump to extract the air in the mixing tank, and maintain the vacuum degree at ≤ -0.095 MPa. The vacuum system of the equipment can quickly extract the air in the tank (the pumping time is about 5 minutes), which avoids the generation of air bubbles during the emulsification process and prevents the product from becoming rough due to bubble residues. After reaching the set vacuum degree, start the high-shear homogenizing head, adjust the speed to 12000 rpm, and at the same time adjust the mixing paddle speed to 60 rpm to ensure that the materials are fully involved in the emulsification process.
During the homogenization and emulsification process, the 4-stage stator-rotor structure of the homogenizing head generates strong shear force, impact force, and turbulence, which breaks down the oil droplets and water droplets in the materials into micro-droplets (average particle size 0.1-3 μm) and disperses them evenly in each other to form a stable emulsion system. The scraper paddle continuously scrapes off the materials adhered to the tank wall and the bottom of the tank, ensuring that no dead corners are left in the emulsification process, and all materials are fully emulsified. The emulsification time is set to 20 minutes according to the formula requirements, and the equipment automatically maintains the set parameters during the emulsification process, and the operator only needs to observe the material state through the observation window on the tank cover.
It is worth noting that when switching between different product formulas, the homogenizing head of the equipment can be easily disassembled for cleaning and replacement. For example, when switching from facial cream production to body lotion production, the homogenizing head is disassembled, cleaned with pure water, and then reinstalled, which takes only about 30 minutes, which is much shorter than the cleaning time of traditional fixed equipment (4-6 hours). This greatly improves the efficiency of formula switching and reduces the downtime between batches.
3.4 Cooling and Post-Mixing
After the emulsification is completed, stop the homogenizing head, adjust the mixing paddle speed to 25 rpm, and start the cooling system to cool the materials to room temperature (25-30℃). The cooling system adopts circulating cooling water, and the cooling rate is 8℃/h, which can quickly cool the materials without affecting the stability of the emulsion. During the cooling process, add the functional ingredients (vitamin E and plant extract) into the tank through the feeding port (the feeding port can be opened without breaking the vacuum), and continue mixing for 10 minutes to ensure that the functional ingredients are evenly dispersed in the emulsion system.
During the cooling process, the vacuum state of the equipment is maintained all the time, which effectively prevents air from entering the tank and generating bubbles, and at the same time avoids the oxidation of easily oxidized ingredients (such as vitamin E) in the materials, ensuring the efficacy and stability of the product. The operator monitors the material temperature and viscosity in real time through the touch screen of the equipment, and adjusts the cooling speed and mixing speed appropriately according to the actual situation to ensure that the product texture meets the requirements.
3.5 Discharge and Post-Production Cleaning
When the material temperature drops to room temperature and the mixing is completed, stop the vacuum pump and mixing motor, open the discharge port at the bottom of the tank, and discharge the finished facial cream into a clean stainless steel container. The discharge port of the equipment is equipped with a ball valve, which can control the discharge speed, and the inner wall of the tank is smooth, so there is no material residue during discharge. After the discharge is completed, push the equipment to the cleaning area, start the CIP automatic cleaning system again to clean the tank body, homogenizing head, scraper, and other parts, and dry the equipment with hot air after cleaning. The entire cleaning process takes about 30 minutes, and the equipment can be put into the production of the next batch or the next type of product.
4. Application Effects and Data Analysis
Since the introduction of the mobile high-shear emulsifier, the enterprise has been using it for the production of facial cream, body lotion, and other products for 12 months, and the application effect is obvious. Through the comparison of production data before and after the introduction of the equipment, the following improvements have been achieved:
4.1 Product Quality Improvement
Before the introduction of the mobile high-shear emulsifier, the average particle size of the emulsion in the enterprise's facial cream products was 5-8 μm, the product texture was slightly rough, and there were occasional small bubbles on the surface. After using the equipment, the average particle size of the emulsion was reduced to 0.1-3 μm, the particle size distribution was more uniform (polydispersity index PDI ≤ 0.16), the product texture was smooth and delicate, and there were no bubbles on the surface. At the same time, the stability of the product was significantly improved. The product was stored at 45℃ for 3 months without delamination, discoloration, or odor, which was better than the national standard for cosmetic stability (stored at 45℃ for 2 months without abnormality).
In addition, the uniform dispersion of functional ingredients in the product has been improved. Taking vitamin E as an example, before using the equipment, the content of vitamin E in different parts of the product was uneven, with a difference of up to 15%. After using the equipment, the content difference of vitamin E in different parts of the product was reduced to within 3%, ensuring the consistency of the product's efficacy.
4.2 Production Efficiency Improvement
The mobile high-shear emulsifier has significantly improved the production efficiency of the enterprise. For the production of 200L batch facial cream, the production cycle of traditional fixed equipment is 8 hours (including pre-mixing, emulsification, cooling, discharge, and cleaning), while the production cycle of the mobile equipment is 4.5 hours, and the production efficiency is increased by 43.75%. The main reasons for the efficiency improvement are: first, the equipment's high-shear homogenizing head has high emulsification efficiency, which shortens the emulsification time from 30 minutes (traditional equipment) to 20 minutes; second, the cleaning time of the equipment is shortened from 4 hours (traditional equipment) to 30 minutes, which greatly reduces the downtime between batches; third, the mobile feature of the equipment avoids the time-consuming raw material handling process, saving about 1 hour per batch.
For small-batch trial production (50L batch), the efficiency improvement is more obvious. Traditional fixed equipment is not suitable for small-batch production, and the production cycle is as long as 6 hours, while the mobile equipment can complete the production of 50L batch products in 2.5 hours, which meets the enterprise's demand for rapid trial production of new formulas. In the past 12 months, the enterprise has completed the trial production of 28 new formulas using this equipment, which is twice the number of new formula trial productions in the same period last year.
4.3 Reduction of Production Costs
The application of the mobile high-shear emulsifier has also helped the enterprise reduce production costs. On the one hand, the equipment's energy consumption is lower than that of traditional fixed equipment. The power of the mobile equipment's mixing motor and homogenizing motor is 7.5 kW and 22 kW respectively, while the power of traditional fixed equipment is 11 kW and 37 kW respectively. For the production of 200L batch facial cream, the energy consumption of the mobile equipment is 8.5 kWh, which is 42.6% lower than that of traditional fixed equipment (14.8 kWh). On the other hand, the equipment's cleaning process does not require a lot of cleaning agents and water. The water consumption per batch is 50L, which is 60% lower than that of traditional fixed equipment (125L). At the same time, the reduction of material loss during the production process (from 5% to 1.2%) also reduces the raw material cost of the enterprise.
In addition, the mobile equipment does not need to occupy a fixed production area, which saves the enterprise's workshop rental cost. The enterprise originally needed 3 fixed production lines to meet the production demand, and now only needs 1 mobile equipment and 2 fixed production lines, saving 20% of the workshop area.
4.4 Improvement of Production Flexibility
The mobile feature of the equipment has greatly improved the flexibility of the enterprise's production. The enterprise can adjust the production layout according to the order situation. For example, when the order of body lotion increases, the mobile equipment can be moved to the body lotion production area to increase the production capacity of body lotion; when the order of facial cream decreases, the equipment can be moved to the trial production area to carry out the trial production of new formulas. This flexible production mode enables the enterprise to quickly respond to market changes and improve the competitiveness of the enterprise.
In addition, the equipment is suitable for the production of various cosmetic products, including creams, lotions, emulsions, and serums. The enterprise can switch between different product types by adjusting parameters such as homogenizing speed, mixing speed, and temperature, without the need to replace equipment, which further improves the flexibility of production.
5. Daily Maintenance and Operation Experience
During the 12-month application process, the enterprise has accumulated rich experience in the daily maintenance and operation of the mobile high-shear emulsifier, which ensures the stable operation of the equipment and the continuity of production.
5.1 Daily Maintenance
The daily maintenance of the equipment mainly includes the following aspects: First, after each batch of production, clean the equipment in time, including the mixing tank, homogenizing head, scraper, feeding port, and discharge port, to avoid material residue and bacterial growth. Second, check the oil level of the motor and hydraulic system (for lifting function) every day, and add lubricating oil in time if the oil level is insufficient. Third, check the sealing parts of the equipment (such as the seal ring of the tank cover and the discharge port) for wear every day, and replace them in time if there is leakage. Fourth, clean the filter screen of the vacuum system and cooling water system every week to ensure the smooth operation of the system.
5.2 Operation Experience
In terms of operation, the enterprise summarizes the following experience: First, when setting the homogenizing speed, it should be adjusted according to the viscosity of the material. For high-viscosity materials (such as facial cream), the speed should be set to 10000-15000 rpm; for low-viscosity materials (such as body lotion), the speed can be set to 6000-10000 rpm. Second, during the emulsification process, the temperature of the material should be strictly controlled. For heat-sensitive ingredients (such as vitamin C and plant extract), the emulsification temperature should be reduced to 30-40℃ to avoid the degradation of active ingredients. Third, when moving the equipment, it should be ensured that the workshop ground is flat and free of obstacles to avoid equipment damage and safety accidents. Fourth, operators should be trained regularly to master the operation skills and maintenance methods of the equipment, which can reduce the failure rate of the equipment.
6. Summary and Prospect
The application of the mobile high-shear emulsifier in the enterprise's cosmetic production has achieved obvious results in improving product quality, increasing production efficiency, reducing production costs, and enhancing production flexibility. The equipment's compact structure, flexible movement, efficient emulsification, and easy cleaning characteristics are fully compatible with the enterprise's production needs of small and medium batches, multiple varieties, and frequent formula switching. In the past 12 months, the equipment has operated stably, with a failure rate of less than 2%, which has ensured the continuity and stability of the enterprise's production.
Looking forward to the future, the enterprise plans to increase the investment in mobile high-shear emulsifiers, introduce 2 more sets of equipment of different specifications (50L and 500L) to meet the production needs of small-batch trial production and large-batch mass production. At the same time, the enterprise will further explore the application of the equipment in other product fields, such as hair care products and mask products, and continuously optimize the production process to improve the competitiveness of the enterprise in the cosmetic market.
For cosmetic enterprises with similar production needs (small and medium batches, multiple varieties, frequent formula switching), the mobile high-shear emulsifier is a cost-effective production equipment. Its application can not only solve the problems existing in traditional fixed equipment but also provide strong support for the enterprise's product innovation and market expansion. With the continuous development of the cosmetic industry, the demand for flexible and efficient production equipment will continue to increase, and the mobile high-shear emulsifier will have a broader application prospect in the cosmetic production field.
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