The CDF-12 is a cryogenic cartridge containing pre-formed tungsten-titanium alloy filaments cooled to near absolute zero (-271 degrees Celsius) in a liquid helium reservoir. The cartridge feeds 12 individual charges to the CDSC-4 'Frostbite' scatter cannon, each charge consisting of a burst of ultra-fine metal filaments projected in a 22-degree scatter cone that flash-freeze whatever they contact.

The filaments are manufactured at 0.003mm diameter — thinner than a human hair by an order of magnitude — which gives them an extreme surface-area-to-mass ratio. When these cryogenic filaments contact a target at room temperature, the thermal differential is so extreme that the filaments undergo violent thermal expansion while simultaneously transferring their stored cold into the contact surface. The result is a combination of deep-tissue cryogenic burns and mechanical shear damage as the expanding filaments lacerate tissue at the microscopic level.

The liquid helium reservoir that maintains the filaments at operational temperature is the cartridge's most delicate component. The reservoir uses a vacuum-insulated double-wall construction that maintains temperature for approximately 4 hours after activation — once the cartridge is loaded and activated, the operator has a limited operational window before the helium boils off and the filaments reach ambient temperature, at which point they become merely very fine metallic fragments with no special effect.