The OsciJet Spray Ball is an innovative industrial cleaning solution for the food and process industries that combines advanced fluid dynamics with additive manufacturing (AM) to deliver superior cleaning performance. Developed in collaboration with FDX Fluid Dynamix, the system is based on fluidic oscillator technology, which generates a continuously sweeping and pulsating spray pattern without the use of any moving parts. By leveraging metal additive manufacturing, multiple OsciJet nozzles can be integrated into a single compact spray ball, creating near-complete spatial coverage and enabling a new generation of highly efficient cleaning systems.

At the core of the innovation is the principle of a fluidic oscillator. When pressurized liquid or gas enters the nozzle, the fluid jet naturally attaches to one internal wall. As the flow reaches the outlet region, part of the fluid exits while a smaller portion is redirected through internal feedback channels. This redirected flow pushes the jet toward the opposite wall, creating a continuous back-and-forth oscillation. The cycle repeats automatically, producing a sweeping fluid motion without any mechanical actuation. The absence of moving parts significantly improves reliability, durability, and operational efficiency while reducing maintenance requirements.

The innovation would not have been possible using conventional manufacturing methods. The internal channels and complex geometries required for the fluidic oscillation mechanism are ideally suited to Metal Binder Jetting (MBJ) and powder-based additive manufacturing technologies. AM enables the production of intricate internal structures and allows multiple oscillating nozzles to be integrated into a single component. This design freedom creates cleaning patterns capable of delivering broad and uniform coverage inside tanks, vessels, and processing equipment, making the solution particularly attractive for hygienic industries such as food and beverage production.

A key advantage of the OsciJet Spray Ball is its ability to provide highly effective cleaning performance while remaining compact and robust. Traditional cleaning systems often rely on rotating or mechanically driven spray heads that contain moving components subject to wear, maintenance, and eventual failure. In contrast, the OsciJet system achieves the same or better cleaning effectiveness through fluid dynamics alone. This results in a more reliable solution with lower operating costs, longer service life, and reduced downtime.

From a technical perspective, the innovation demonstrates a strong alignment between product requirements and the capabilities of additive manufacturing. The project benefits from several key advantages of Metal Binder Jetting, including exceptional design freedom, system integration, production scalability, and process precision. The technology allows complex nozzle geometries to be manufactured directly without assembly, enabling cost-effective production for both small and large production volumes. As manufacturing volumes increase, unit costs can be further reduced, making the solution economically attractive for widespread industrial adoption.

Sustainability is another major benefit of the innovation. Powder-based manufacturing offers high material utilization through near-net-shape production, minimizing waste compared with conventional machining processes. Unused metal powder can largely be recycled and reused in subsequent production cycles. In addition, additive manufacturing allows different product variants and quantities to be produced within the same build job, improving resource efficiency and reducing energy consumption. The absence of moving parts also contributes to a longer component lifespan, lowering replacement rates and reducing the environmental impact associated with maintenance and spare parts.

The development phase of the OsciJet Spray Ball has been successfully completed, and the product has reached an estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 8–9, indicating that it is close to or already ready for industrial deployment. Future work focuses primarily on production optimization and quality assurance integration for serial manufacturing.

Overall, the OsciJet Spray Ball demonstrates how Powder Metallurgy and additive manufacturing can enable entirely new product concepts. By combining fluidic oscillator technology with advanced metal AM processes, the innovation delivers a compact, durable, cost-efficient, and sustainable industrial cleaning solution that was previously impossible to achieve using conventional manufacturing technologies.