Dispersing & Deagglomeration

Ultrasonic dispersing is the process of using high-intensity ultrasonic waves to uniformly distribute solid particles (powders, pigments, nanoparticles) into a liquid medium. The acoustic cavitation generated by ISM’s ultrasonic processors creates intense micro-jets and shear forces that break apart agglomerates and distribute particles homogeneously — achieving ultrasonic nano dispersion with smaller, more uniform particle sizes than conventional mixing methods.

Dispersing is the process of distributing solid particles evenly throughout a liquid. Deagglomeration is the process of breaking apart clusters (agglomerates) of particles that have bonded together during storage, handling, or manufacturing. In practice, both processes often occur simultaneously during ultrasonic treatment — ISM’s processors first break apart agglomerates (deagglomeration) and then distribute the resulting individual particles uniformly into the liquid (dispersing).

ISM’s ultrasonic dispersing technology is used across a range of industries including paint and coatings (automotive, construction, industrial), printing inks and toners (laser printers, photocopiers), polishing media, pharmaceutical suspensions, cosmetic formulations, food-grade dispersions, pesticide and insecticide formulations, and specialty chemical products requiring uniform particle distribution.

ISM’s patented Barbell Horn® Ultrasonic Technology (BHUT) maintains the same high ultrasonic amplitudes and cavitation intensities at any scale of operation. This means a dispersing process optimized on the LSP-600 (lab-scale) can be directly transferred to the BSP-1200 (bench-scale) or ISP-3600 (industrial-scale) without re-optimization — the final product particle size distribution and quality remain the same.

Compared to high-speed mixers, bead mills, and rotor-stator homogenizers, ultrasonic dispersing with ISM’s BHUT-based processors offers several advantages: finer and more uniform particle distributions (nano-scale), lower equipment and operating costs, simpler setup and maintenance, direct scalability from lab to industrial production, and precise temperature control during processing. ISM’s processors can handle high-viscosity formulations and high solids concentrations that challenge conventional equipment.