The PulseWave NRD Mill operates on the novel principle of resonance disintegration that reduces the particle size of various materials by the application of the physics of resonance, shock waves and vortex-generated shearing forces, as opposed to the crushing and grinding processes of conventional milling methods. The design geometry of the PulseWave NRD Mill provides for a somewhat symmetrical level of the magnitude of shock waves, and the forces are phased so that the efficiency of the process is enhanced while the energy transfer to the machine is minimized. This results in materials being fragmented from within, rather than being crushed by impact or grinding which can destroy many types of materials such as high molecular weight polymers. Hence, most materials can be reduced to various particle sizes (down to colloidal size) without destroying their basic fabric or structural habit; that is, euhedral crystalline materials will tend to retain their euhedral nature when micronized by the NRD process, acicular particles will tend to retain their acicular nature, and so forth.

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In addition to its ability to reduce the particle size of materials, the PulseWave NRD Mill is also capable of selective differential fragmentation of particles in complex multi-phase materials. Since different components in a heterogeneous material will have different elasticities, they will tend to resonate at differing frequencies in the NRD machine, resulting in their being separated from one another. For example, plant fiber can actually be liberated from intracellular components by the NRD process; small sections of hydraulic hose can be delaminated into separate steel wire and rubber fractions; gold particles can be liberated from sand grains; and crystalline materials are cleaved apart along the planes of their structure. Materials of heterogeneous composition are differentially fragmented with harder, less elastic components being fragmented into smaller particle sizes than softer, more elastic components. This provides the basis for "dry" fractionization. The PulseWave NRD Mill can be operated at different speeds and directions (clockwise, counterclockwise) providing versatility in particle size reduction processing.

Another benefit of the NRD process is that it generally produces a “tight” statistical distribution (i.e., d0.9, d0.5) of particle sizes. This results in a more uniform, consistent and predictable product. Materials can be processed in several different media including atmospheric air, water, helium or liquid nitrogen, which allows for the custom micronization of materials of various chemistry and volatility. The throughput of our standard-sized machine varies from 500 pounds to 8,000 pounds per hour, based on the size and composition of the starting material and the desired ending particle size. And finally, the PulseWave NRD process is: (a) cost effective – in most cases, materials can be reduced to a similar or smaller particle size as conventional ball or jet mills but at a fraction of the energy demand, resulting in lower processing costs and energy savings. This cost differential is particularly evident in the finer (micronic) range, often resulting in energy costs as little as one fifth or one sixth that of impact mills; and, (b) speed – material introduced into the mill is transported and processed from input to initial output in less than one second! Material reduction that takes other methods hours and days can be done in seconds and minutes in the PulseWave NRD Mill.