Silicones for Cosmetics
Producing silicone for cosmetics products is a tough processing challenge. Bepex makes it easier, safer and more profitable.
Meeting Tough Processing Challenges
Silicone is used as an ingredient in cosmetics and personal care products. The result is a beautiful product, but getting there involves nasty processing challenges including a highly volatile solvent, zero tolerance for specks or other impurities, and production capacity limited by inefficient batch processing. Here’s how Bepex created a better product through processing innovation.
Better Product
Most silicone producers use batch production and direct heat drying. But continuous processing leveraging Bepex indirect drying equipment offers better control over moisture content. That produces a higher quality, more consistent end product. Plus, with a closed system and less handling between steps, the continuous process eliminates opportunities for product contamination.
Safer Production
Bepex’s dryers use indirect heat, a technology that drastically reduces the risk of drying volatile materials. Also, because the solvent is so highly volatile, it can’t be processed using heated air. Instead inert nitrogen gas is used – which is a huge expense in conventional direct drying. Bepex indirect drying uses far less nitrogen gas to achieve a highly pure end product in a much safer manner.
Lower Operating Cost
Drying with indirect heat uses less utilities, reducing overall utility costs and emissions. The indirect process requires less gas than direct heating, reducing the cost and size of downstream condensation components. Plus Bepex equipment has a smaller footprint than many conventional dryers. The result is lower operating costs and better cap ex return.
A Complete Catalog of Continuous Production Technologies
Drying
Bepex offers the industry’s broadest range of drying technologies, so Bepex can create the exact drying solution you need. The result? Superior performance. Compact operations. Utility savings, lower overall cap ex requirements, and increased sustainability.
Devolatizing
Bepex offers a wide range of solvent recovery and devolatilization equipment. Bepex’s proprietary designs, true plug flow operation and system adjustability packs high performance into a small footprint – resulting in reduced operating and cap ex costs.
Reacting
Bepex helped to pioneer the equipment and technology needed to support continuous reaction processes, so we can provide the best reaction process solution plus the up- and down- stream equipment needed to complement reaction processes.
Micronizing
Bepex offers advanced small particle grinding and micronizing systems, solutions and engineering support for tough small particle challenges. Made and supported in the USA, we’re the expert’s choice for hitting exacting product specifications.
Solidaire
The Solidaire thin layer paddle dryer offers the highest heat transfer coefficient available. Process dry or wet solids, liquids, slurries, cakes or pastes more efficiently, with more control, at lower cost. Solidaire applications include drying, devolatilizing, reacting, cooling, and crystallizing.
TorusDisc
The TorusDisc dryer is designed for high heat loads and long residence times. The TorusDisc provides maximum heat transfer and complete processing control in a compact footprint, making it ideal for drying, reacting, crystallizing, and heating or cooling processes.
Better Processing from Bepex
Innovation and a Commitment to Sustainable, Safe Processing
At Bepex, we’re obsessed with better processing: Better output. Better sustainability. Better impact on the bottom line.But better processing is more than just better equipment design, engineering and build. It’s a way of thinking. For years, silicone ingredient producers struggled with inefficient, and potentially unsafe, processing technologies.Then they reached out to Bepex. Working with our Process Development Center, together we reimagined silicone production, re-engineering the process to be more efficient, safer and more sustainable.Let’s work together to reimagine your tough processing challenges.
Explore Our Resources
Process Development
Feasibility
All new inquiries begin with a feasibility study. These studies aim to provide preliminary insights into the viability of a commercial process. Using as little as 100 grams of material, we can begin early process design, develop plans for pilot-testing and/or confirmation, and begin providing early economic estimates. Our experience across our wide range of technologies gives us a unique ability to provide quick feedback on the feasibility of your process.
Development
From our learnings, we’ll begin the process development work. The primary work in this phase takes place in the form of pilot-scale testing in our Process Development Center. Our pilot tests look a bit different than what you may have experienced in the past. Each test is designed to measure the system performance and feasibility rather than that of any single machine.
Each system is custom assembled for each test. Our goal is to provide as much of a pilot-scale simulation as possible while gathering scale-up data to deliver on commercial capacities. When a certain technology proves ineffective, we’ll draw from our range of options to determine if there is a better fit. The Process Development Center is our sandbox to build, test, and revise to ensure we get every detail right.
Budget Evaluation
With a successful pilot simulation completed, we now have everything we need to scale up and provide proposals for capital equipment with included performance guarantees.
System Design And Build
After receipt of the purchase order, we begin with both equipment and system engineering. Each proprietary technology we sell is custom-designed and built per application. We do not have any off-the-shelf units. At this stage, your exact system begins to take shape, including auxiliary equipment, process flow diagrams, process and instrumentation diagrams, safety provisions, and more.
Commissioning
After delivery and installation of your new system, Bepex will provide a mechanical check to ensure everything is placed according to plan. This is followed shortly thereafter by system commissioning. This is where our pilot-scale simulations become invaluable, as our team of application engineers, controls technicians, and sales engineers begin working with your team to successfully bring your system online.
Support
At this point, you’re up and running at rate, producing a quality product, but our work doesn’t stop there.
Following commissioning, Bepex remains a reliable partner, providing quality OEM parts, immediate field service, process optimization, training, system troubleshooting, and more. We have consistently had high customer retention rates, and we believe it is due in large part to our comprehensive approach to serving our customers long after the original sale.
Improve Silicone Production
Learn more about improving your silicone production capabilities. Produce a better product. More safely. At a lower cost. Reach out to a Bepex processing expert to learn more.