Pilot Plant Scaling

StarToll's pilot plant scaling service provides the bridge between laboratory development and full-scale manufacture. Using a controlled, staged approach, we can take a formulation from an initial laboratory sample through progressively larger production trials and ultimately into repeatable mass production.

 

Why Scale-Up Matters

Increasing a batch size is not simply a matter of multiplying every ingredient by the same amount.

​

As production volumes increase, factors such as mixing efficiency, shear, dispersion, addition sequence, temperature, processing time and raw-material handling can behave very differently.

​

A formulation mixed successfully in a laboratory vessel may therefore require adjustments to the manufacturing process before it can be reliably produced at commercial scale.

​

Pilot plant scaling allows these factors to be identified and controlled before committing to larger production volumes.

​

A Controlled, Staged Process

Rather than moving directly from a small laboratory formulation to a large manufacturing batch, StarToll can increase production in carefully managed stages.

​

A typical development route may progress through:

​

Laboratory Sample → Development Batch → Pilot Batch → Pre-Production Batch → Commercial Manufacture → Mass Production

​

At each stage, the formulation and manufacturing process can be assessed before progressing to the next scale.

​

This provides an opportunity to evaluate important characteristics such as viscosity, dispersion, appearance, cure profile, working time and finished-product performance while also establishing how the formulation behaves on increasingly larger manufacturing equipment.

​

Developing the Manufacturing Process

Pilot production is not only about confirming that the chemistry works. It allows us to develop the practical manufacturing process required to produce it consistently.

​

This can include establishing:

​

• Raw-material addition sequence

• Mixing speeds and processing times

• Dispersion requirements

• Temperature controls

• Appropriate manufacturing equipment

• Raw-material preparation and handling

• In-process quality checks

• Filling and packaging procedures

• Finished-product quality control parameters

• Target batch sizes and manufacturing efficiencies

​

These parameters can then form the basis of a controlled production process for future commercial batches.

​

Reducing the Risk of Commercial Scale-Up

Moving directly from a successful laboratory sample into mass production can introduce unnecessary technical and commercial risk.

​

Staged scale-up enables potential issues to be identified while batch quantities remain relatively small. Adjustments can then be made before significant quantities of raw materials, production time and packaging are committed.

​

This is particularly important with reactive, high-viscosity, filled, pigmented or specialist polymer systems, where manufacturing conditions can have a significant influence on the finished product.

​

Supported by Our Chemistry & Manufacturing Expertise

Pilot plant scaling at StarToll benefits from having product development, chemistry, manufacturing and quality control working together.

​

Our chemists can evaluate the formulation while our experienced manufacturing team assesses how it behaves on production equipment. This combination of laboratory knowledge and practical manufacturing experience helps ensure that the product is not only technically successful but also commercially manufacturable.

​

Lab to Production – All Under One Roof

One of the major advantages of the StarToll approach is continuity.

​

A product developed with us does not need to be handed over to an entirely separate organisation once laboratory development is complete. We can support the progression from:

​

Concept → Laboratory Development → Pilot Production → Scale-Up → Quality Control → Commercial Manufacture → Ongoing Supply

​

Once the manufacturing process has been proven, StarToll can move the product into routine production, packaging, branding, stockholding and distribution as required.

​

Scaling Ideas into Commercial Products

Whether you have an existing laboratory formulation that needs to be commercialised or a completely new product being developed with our chemists, StarToll can provide a structured route towards production.

From the first laboratory sample to repeat mass production, we can help ensure that your product scales successfully.