PRISMA Project

The PRISMA project: enhancing extrusion through online analysis for industrial processes

As part of the PRISMA project (Intelligent Processes: Simulation, Monitoring, Online Analysis), the Axel'One collaborative platform is committed to enhancing real-time analysis capabilities for industrial processes, particularly for extrusion and other material transformation operations. Winner of a call for proposals from the Investments for the Future Program (PIA), PRISMA has a budget of more than €2.7 million over three years to acquire and deploy mobile, connected online analysis tools tailored to the needs of industrial SMEs and the chemical, materials, and textile industries. Investments include pilot projects that replicate industrial conditions, such as a fully automated twin-screw extruder equipped for online analysis testing, as well as advanced chemical composition instruments (near-infrared spectrometry, gas standard generator) that enable continuous monitoring of critical material processing parameters.

Online analysis: a key lever for extrusion control

Extrusion is a complex process that is highly dependent on numerous parameters such as temperature, pressure, shear, and material formulation. Historically, control of these processes has relied heavily on indirect measurements and post-hoc analyses, often performed offline. While relevant, this approach has limitations in terms of responsiveness and detailed understanding of the phenomena occurring at the heart of the process.

As part of the PRISMA project, online analysis solutions (Process Analytical Technology – PAT) have been integrated directly into Axel'One's extrusion equipment (online densimeter, optical spectroscopy coupled with digital optimization loops). These investments have enabled a breakthrough by providing access to real-time information on the state of the material during its transformation.

Analytical tools integrated as closely as possible to the process

The equipment deployed makes it possible to continuously monitor certain key properties of the materials, such as their composition, homogeneity, and structural changes during extrusion. Online analysis, positioned directly on the production line or at strategic points in the process, provides a dynamic and instantaneous view of the transformations taking place.

This advanced instrumentation enables:

• correlate process parameters with material properties,
• quickly detect deviations or anomalies,
• adjust operating conditions in real time according to the objectives to be achieved,
• and secure the development and scale-up phases.

Thanks to investments made through the PRISMA project, Axel'One now has tools capable of supporting work ranging from upstream research to industrial development, in an environment that reflects industrial constraints.

Contact: analysis@axel-one.com

 

The PRISMA project was made possible thanks to financial support from the French government as part of the Investments for the Future Program (PIA), through its regionalized sector scheme, implemented in partnership with the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region. It also benefits from the support of institutional partners and the ecosystem of competitiveness clusters, including Polymeris, which are working to strengthen innovation, industrial performance, and competitiveness in the chemical, materials, and processes sectors.