Centrifugal microcapsule synthesis has been shown to
be a promising
technique for microencapsulation, satisfying at the same time many
requirements needed for biomedical applications (controlled monodisperse
size, spherical shape, sterile production environment) and allowing
a high capsule production rate, using only conventional lab material.
Although efforts have been made over the past decade to optimize centrifugal
devices, so far only one stage of the capsule synthesis process has
been accurately characterized from a physical and mechanical point
of view. In this work we provide the first complete description and
modeling of the entire centrifugal encapsulation process, by carefully
analyzing all its stages using a combined experimental and analytical
approach. This results in defining novel global models and a flow
diagram of the process. The analysis and models introduced here are
expected to contribute to the understanding, design, improvement,
and optimal operation of current and future centrifugal microencapsulation
devices. Results obtained for void capsules (beads) are confirmed
by experiments on capsules with cargo.