Freeman Technology's award is in the category of innovation and recognises the development, commercialisation and sales success of the company's FT4 powder rheometer
Freeman Technology is to receive the Queen's award for enterprise 2007, considered to be the UK's most prestigious commercial prize.
The FT4 is a unique universal powder tester that is used around the world to measure the flow properties of an extremely wide range of materials.
Freeman Technology has an established base of customers in Europe, the US and Japan, where the FT4 is used in manufacturing industries as diverse as ceramics and pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and powder coatings.
Using patented technology, the FT4 allows manufacturers to characterise powders in ways that relate directly to their processes, giving a sound basis for process management, optimisation, efficiency, increased productivity and improved profitability.
Freeman Technology's founder and managing director, Reg Freeman, said: "We are extremely pleased to be receiving the Queen's award for enterprise - particularly for our innovation.
"It's a great testament to everyone who works in or is associated with the company.
"I feel that we are just so lucky to have a great team, an outstanding working environment and very interesting and diverse markets in industry and academia worldwide.
"Since we introduced the first powder rheometer in 1999, Freeman Technology's pioneering approach has been to work with our clients to increase our understanding of powder behaviour and help resolve processing issues by developing new ways of testing powders.
"What most excites me is that our clients are recognising that powder characterisation is now viable - that powder processing is being transformed from an art into a science by measurements that are differentiating and highly reproducible.
"We can provide the instrumentation and the know-how to help them meet these challenges.
"This is a strong foundation for the future growth of our business as we continue to develop with and serve the powder processing industries".
The FT4 offers automated bulk, shear and dynamic property measurement in one instrument - producing data that correlate with real processing behaviour.
It can help solve powder processing problems that can range from bridging at hopper outlets, through unwanted fluidisation and air entrainment, to batch variability and issues with tabletting, encapsulation and vial filling.
Powders are tested in a consolidated, conditioned and aerated state to fully characterise flow behaviour and the factors influencing it.
This facilitates the rapid identification of properties with a critical impact on performance.
The FT4's patented dynamic methodology and unique conditioning step, coupled with automated test programmes eliminate operator-to-operator variability and deliver unsurpassed precision and reproducibility.
As a result the instrument is highly differentiating.
Testing is fast - a test programme is typically complete in around five minutes - while the latest software delivers rapid data analysis, remote from the laboratory where necessary.
