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Less Friction

Reduce Adhesion

Increase Ease of Cleaning


Solve your production process problems with
our Micro Dimple Process

What is Micro Dimple Process?

Micro Dimple Process is a surface treatment with many potential benefits.

The effects that arise from making surfaces “easy to slide” offer a variety of benefits in many areas, such as in food, Cosmetics and pharmaceutical manufacturing. 

Increased Production Efficiency

Improves performance of hoppers and sieves

Hoppers are often used to shuttle flower through processing lines for bread, confections, noodles and other baked products. Common issues are clogging by the powders, yield loss and difficult cleaning processes and excessive noise from knockers.

With our Micro Dimple Process the hopper requires only half the slope angle of an untreated hopper for the powder to slide. Sieves require approximately half the amount of time to sieve product through. 

See explanation in video

Our Micro dimple process reduces the adhesion of powders and improves the sliding of packaging. It can also reduce the sticking of moist and sticky foods such as meats and doughs. By treating the inner surface of equipment such as kneaders and mixers, food loss can be prevented. Our surface treatment also makes it much easier to clean the surfaces with only water. Less downtime equals more profit. 

Suppresses Adhesion

Prevents food loss and reduces time required for cleaning.

See explanation in video

Inhibits Bacterial, Viral and Fungal Growth

Less Wear and No Foreign Contamination

Treatment process with high durability

Antibacterial Properties

Studies have shown that  uneven surfaces inhibit the movement and growth of common bacteria. Our process isn’t a coating, therefore improves hygiene.

Wear Resistance

This process hardens stainless steel surface by about twice as much over untreated and increases it’s overall wear resistance.

Prevents Contamination

Unlike a coating, our Micro Dimple Process is a surface treatment so there is ZERO contamination due to peeling of coating films over time.

Anti-Bacterial Test

Applications

Food Industry

Hoppers and Guides

Customer Issue:

Having trouble with powder clogging. Excessive knocker noise. Food spillage and blockage of the production line.

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Vibration Trough/Collective Chute

Although the machinery is embossed, it is difficult to wash because food waste accumulates in the concave area.

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Magnet

If the powder adheres to the magnet, the iron powder cannot be removed and clogging occurs.

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Sieve/Punching Mesh

I’m using a tapping ball, but I’m worried that the debris will become a cause of foreign matter contamination.

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Sanitary Piping

I want to treat a pipe that takes time and effort to remove. I also want an antibacterial effect.​

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Filling Nozzle

Liquid drips from the nozzle when filling curry sauce, dressing, etc.

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Cosmetics Industry

Sieve

The sieve net clogs up quickly due to the high oil content of the foundation.

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Others

When molding pressed foundation, a lot of it adheres to the pestle, which makes the next molding messy.​

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Others

Lipstick molds are difficult to release, resulting in cosmetic imperfections.

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Conveyor Guide

Cosmetic bottles do not slide well and fall over during transportation.

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Carton Machine

The cost of disposing cosmetic boxes has increased.

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Mixer

When facial cleansing powder is mixed and dispensed, a large amount of powder remains in the mixer, resulting in a low yield.​

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Pharmaceutical Industry

Sieve

The sieve net becomes clogged due to the large amount of fine powder chemicals.

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Others

Powder adheres to the tableting machine, causing tablets to crack.

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Chute

Poor slipping on PTP sheets and tablet chutes.

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Packaging Machine Trough

Weighing errors occur when medicine is left in the trough.

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Conveyor Transfer Board

PET containers for syrup do not transfer well.

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Filling Nozzle

When eye drops are filled into an eye-drop container, the liquid continues to leak out from the nozzle, resulting in a weight error.

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Micro Dimple Process is provided by WPC Treatment Co., Inc.

© 2022 WPC Treatment Co., Inc.

Results of antibacterial activity evaluation test.

Using SUS304 plates as test pieces, we conducted an antibacterial activity evaluation test in accordance with JISZ2801 on untreated and two types of Micro Dimple Process test pieces.

Escherichia Coli
Control
Micro Dimple 1
Micro Dimple 2

Medium sheet after 8 hours of test

Staphylococcus Aureus
Control
Micro Dimple 1
Micro Dimple 2

Agar medium after 24 hours of test

The blue part is coliform bacteria cultured after 8 hours. One blue dot corresponds to one fungus. In the Staphylococcus aureus test, one yellow dot in the sample after 24 hours corresponds to one bacterium. In both cases, the untreated test piece has a large number of bacteria, and the bacteria spread all over, but it can be confirmed that the two types of MDbio clearly have a low number of bacteria.

Changes in the number of bacteria over time

Escherichia Coli
Staphylococcus Aureus

Achieved an antibacterial activity value of 2 or more in 4 hours for E. coli and 12 hours for Staphylococcus aureus.
The JIS standard stipulates that an antibacterial activity value of 2 or more has an antibacterial effect.

It has also been confirmed to be effective in inhibiting the growth of mold and viruses.

Your worries

I am having trouble with powder adhesion, such as "the noise from bridges and knockers" and "dripping and blockage."

Hoppers and Guides

Having trouble with powder clogging. Excessive knocker noise. Food spillage and blockage of the production line.

Treatment Effect

Powder adhesion is suppressed and eliminating the need to knock the equipment. There are cases where the knocker attached to the hopper is no longer necessary due to implementation of our Micro Dimple Process which leads to longer equipment life and noise reduction.
It also eliminates the need for operators to clear the equipment every time a blockage occurs. Based on our experience, we recommend to change the hopper shape to an eccentric hopper.
Our Micro Dimple Process greatly reduces food clogging making it possible to reduce the slope steepness of the hopper and reduce the height of the entire device. By reducing adhesion of the film guide, dripping is eliminated, sealing issues and dosing errors due to cross-contamination are less likely to occur. Waste loss can be reduced.

Vibrating Trough/Collective Chute

Although the machinery is embossed, it is difficult to wash because food waste accumulates in the concave area.

Your worries

Although the machinery is embossed, it is difficult to wash because food waste accumulates in the concave area.

Treatment Effect

The combination of embossment and Micro Dimple Process can improve both slipperiness and washability.

This is effective for food that are easy to scrape off, such as chocolate and cheese. Micro Dimple Process can improve the smoothness and inhibit adhesion of the embossed part for easy removal. In addition, water can easily enter the recesses of the Micro Dimple Process, which improves washability and reduces the amount of water and detergent required. Embossing is also very costly so for flat surfaces, you can use Micro Dimple Process as a substitute. 

Magnet

If the powder adheres to the magnet, the iron powder cannot be removed and clogging occurs.

Your worries

If the powder adheres to the magnet, the iron powder cannot be removed and clogging occurs.

treatment effect

Adhesion of powder is suppressed, and the original effect of a magnet can be obtained. In addition, since the slope of the housing hopper can be made loose, the height of the entire device can be reduced.

Adhesion is reduced by Micro Dimple Process, which eliminates clogging in the magnet section and eliminates problems such as a drop in supply volume and bottlenecks. In addition, there are many consultations about clogging, but it also contributes to the original purpose of removing iron powder. It is said that 1mm of powder adhering to a magnet reduces the magnetic force by several thousand gauss. Foreign matter removal plays a major role in magnets that are close to the final product, and the Micro Dimple Process has the advantage of not causing foreign matter like coating.

Sieve/punching mesh

I'm using a tapping ball, but I'm worried that the debris will become a cause of foreign matter contamination.

Your worries

I’m using a tapping ball, but I’m worried that the debris will become a cause of foreign matter contamination.

Treatment Effect

Adhesion suppression reduces clogging, which may eliminate the need for tapping balls.

The Micro Dimple Process reduces clogging, leading to shorter passage time, which may eliminate the need for a tapping ball. This reduces passing time and eliminates the need to manually strain the remaining powder after sieving. When a large amount of powder accumulates on the sieve, it increases the load on the mesh and affects its durability. Oily powders typically require scrubbing, but our treatment has been able to remove deposits simply by blowing air or flushing with water. This effect may also be achieved with liquid products such as sauces.

Sanitary Piping

I want to treat a pipe that takes time and effort to remove. I also want an antibacterial effect.

Treatment Effect

It is effective in reducing cleaning time and improving yield during changeovers. It also provides antibacterial effects.

Micro Dimple Process can also be used to treat long pipes. Many factories use air distribution pipes but because it is not possible to check the inside of the pipes frequently, there may be a drop in feeding rate due to clogging of powder. In addition, when multiple powders are supplied for each lot, cleaning time and residue contamination during setup change become problems. By suppressing adhesion with Micro Dimple Process, the amount of supply is stabilized, the cleaning cycle can be extended, and cleaning can be performed more easily and in a shorter time than at present. It is also possible to impart an antibacterial effect with MDbio, a type of Micro Dimple Process. 

Filling Nozzle

Liquid drips from the nozzle when filling curry sauce, dressing, etc.

Treatment Effect

Micro Dimple Process controls hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of metal surfaces to prevent dripping.

Micro Dimple Process can form various sizes and shapes of bumps and dents, making it easier for liquids to flow and cling, depending on the properties of the liquid. Dripping can cause contamination of the product, resulting in the need for cleaning and an increase in food loss due to disposal. Nozzle shape is sometimes important, such as with soy sauce bottles, but this treatment is more effective in reducing dripping.

Sieve

We use an automatic sifting machine to sift foundation powder to avoid lumps. However, a lot of oil adheres to the sifting machine making it impossible to sift in the first place.

Treatment Effect

The passage time through the sieve net was shortened, and the bottlenecks were eliminated. Yield was also increased.

When a sieve net is used to produce a homogeneous powder, oil, talc, and titanium dioxide can adhere to the powder and cause clogging. By separating the powder from other particles, the passage time through the sieve net is shortened. The washability of the machine is also improved, which leads to a reduction in setup time.

Others

When molding pressed foundation, a lot of it adheres to the pestle, which makes the next molding messy.

Treatment Effect

Fewer shorter stoppages due to reduced adhesion and reduced frequency of washing.

In the case of embossing, it is important to suppress vertical adhesion of powder. Since foundation has a lot of oil, we have improved the powder so that even if there is oil, the powder will come into point contact by performing step-by-step micro dimple processing.

Other

Lipstick molds are difficult to release, resulting in cosmetic imperfections.

Treatment Effect

Improved releasability resulting in fewer defects.

Aluminum molds are anodized, but Micro Dimple Process improves mold release by making the surface uneven to the extent that they do not create anchoring effects. Reduced defects result in less waste loss, which leads to improved productivity.

Conveyor Guide

Makeup bottles do not slide smoothly and fall over during transportation.

Glass bottles and PE containers often stick to guides and stop abruptly or fall over. Air accumulation from Micro Dimple Process reduces friction between the containers and the guide like air hockey. It can also replace fluorine tape, avoiding the risk of contamination by foreign matter.

Carton Machine

The cost of disposing cosmetic boxes has increased.

Treatment Effect

Micro Dimple Process improves smoothness without using fluorine tape, etc.

When there are areas in the carton machine that does not slide smoothly, cosmetic boxes can fall over, and the boxes that fall to the floor have to be disposed. This can cause a decline in productivity because if a container falls over, the production line comes to a halt, and the cosmetic box has to be set back in place.

Mixer

When facial cleansing powder is mixed and dispensed, a large amount of powder remains in the mixer, resulting in a low yield.

Treatment Effect

Facial cleansing powder slides more easily and can be dispensed without hammering the machine. The yield rate also increased.

Hammering the machine can causes problems such as decreased durability of the machine, noise, electricity consumption, etc. In addition, reduced adhesion leads to shorter cleaning times and laborsaving.

Sieve

We are using an automatic sifting machine, but the powder adheres to it because it is very fine. The cost of pharmaceutical products is high so we want to increase yield.

Treatment Effect

Adhesion is suppressed and manual filtering is no longer necessary. As a result, the yield rate has also increased.

Micro Dimple Process is suitable for fine powders, as many powders in the pharmaceutical industry are fine and very light. This treatment also has a significant impact on the cost of production, as it has been proven to reduce adhesion by more than 50%.

Others

Powder adheres to the tableting machine, causing tablets to crack.

Treatment Effect

Adhesion was suppressed and deficiencies were reduced. The durability of the pestle was also improved.

In addition to inhibiting powder adhesion, the Micro Dimple Process hardens the metal surface and increases the durability of parts subjected to repeated impacts. Foreign matter contamination due to chipping of the pestle is also reduced. Since pestles are expensive, increasing its durability leads to cost reduction.

Chute

Poor slipping on PTP sheets and tablet chutes.

Treatment Effect

A fluorine-based coating was used on these surfaces, but it was able to be replaced by Micro Dimple Process.

Fluorine-based coatings have good sliding properties, but they are prone to static electricity which causes product to stick on the surface. Micro Dimple Process is not a coating. It is highly durable with no risk of peeling off so it helps to prevent foreign matter contamination and reduce operating costs.

Packaging Machine Trough

Weighing errors occur when medicine is left in the trough.

Treatment Effect

Micro Dimple Process minimizes weighing errors by suppressing powder adhesion.

Powder in a vibrating trough can clog up before it reaches the outlet. Adhesion suppression allows the powder to glide stably, eliminating weighing inconsistencies.

Conveyor Transfer Board

PET containers for syrup do not transfer well.

PET containers are soft and malleable, so they tend to stick to metal surfaces. If containers cannot stand upright when transferring to a conveyor, they must be raised by hand. By eliminating the need to manually raise the containers, Micro Dimple Process reduces the amount of labor required.

Filling Nozzle

When eye drops are filled into an eye-drop container, the liquid continues to leak out from the nozzle, resulting in a weight error.

Micro Dimple Process prevents liquid from dripping due to its water-repellent and hydrophilic effects.

Micro Dimple Process can make metal surfaces water-repellent or hydrophilic by controlling the surface shape. This prevents dripping of liquid from the nozzle. The design of the nozzle is also important so by using Micro Dimple Process on a nozzle with a better design, it is possible to obtain even better results.