We got the UP200ht. We have the flow cell for it but don’t use it because it’s actually faster to just use batches with the 200 watt unit. If I could do it again I’d get something more powerful and probably go with a cheaper brand like qsonica. I have a bunch of different formulations, my main formulation is 25 mg/mL (not sure on exact particle size but I can sterile filter it with no loss of cannabinoids so the average particle size must be below 220nm) and I have some up to 75 mg/mL. In concentrated form we have about 5-6 weeks of stability before we start seeing phase separation. We can only process about 1L per hour or so.
I have been working with Hielscher on our scale up and getting quotes on the MPC48 and cascatrode and pressurized cell, and honestly, I think it is overkill. Quote was getting close to $50k, and we still needed reservoirs, pumps, etc.
I think people are thinking about water soluble the wrong way; rather than think about the amount of raw material you’re solubilizing, consider the number of individual retail items you can produce. For example, how many 25 mg doses will you really be selling a month? If I can process 5-10L batches on a 2000 watt sonicator, that’s 5,000 to 10,000 25mg doses an hour. The kombucha company we own only produces like 15k bottles a week at full capacity, so if they were 100% CBD infused products we could produce their weekly requirements in a couple of hours. We are working on getting a big client right now, and they only produce 200,000 cans a month. How many companies are producing water soluble CBD products at that scale?
You’ll get better PDI with a flow through setup, but I don’t think that matters too much in practice - as long as it’s stable for over a month in concentrated form, tastes good, and is cheap to produce, you’re good to go IMO. The main benefit to a flow through besides producing a more consistent product is less labor per batch, but the tradeoff is more complexity and cost.