In past ramblings on particle size analysis we have touched on shakers, ASTM standards, sieve checking, separating small particles, inhibitors like static charges and how to get sieve tests done. A couple of things that we rarely addressed.
Read MoreParticle Size Analysis— Why? [Garden Stones to Micron Dust]
Posted by Art Gatenby on Jun 27, 2019 8:40:00 AM
Topics: Sieve Shakers, Particle Size Analysis, Sieve Testing, Quiet sieve shakers, micron particles, nanometer particles, laser diffraction, segmentation
Do You Re-Certify? Compare with a Master Stack? Check with Calibration Samples?
What Does Recertification Give?
The ASTM E-11 committee has done a great job of establishing three levels of testing. These levels show the probability of a sieve’s mesh to be within the permissible variations. These variations relate to the size of openings in wire-cloth used for test sieves.
Read MoreTopics: Sieve Shakers, Mid-Point Sieves, ASTM, Particle Size Analysis, Sieve Calibration, Sieve Certification, Sieve Testing, Sieving Process, Quiet sieve shakers, RoTap, sieving, test sieve equipment, sieve mesh
Quiet Sieve Shakers
Recently in a quiet, reflective moment, I recalled my first work with sieve shakers. Horizontal motion with tapping was the basic shaker design. The Ro-Tap® was King, and there were few alternatives. Different shakers for special applications, such as the Mary Jane and one that was hung from the ceiling, were the exception.
Read MoreTopics: Sieve Shakers, Sonic Sifter, Particle Size Analysis, Quiet sieve shakers, RoTap, Noisy Sieving, sieving, Endecotts, vacuum sievers
If you take Sieve Shakers for granted, you may be surprised to know that the selection of the right shaker can have a profound effect on your sieving results.
Read MoreTopics: Sieve Shakers, Particle Size Analysis, Sieve Analysis
Sieve testing, as I have stated many times, is the Cinderella of particle size analysis because it delivers more value than expected from something that’s so easy to use and relatively inexpensive. However, the problem with standard sieving techniques using wire mesh sieves is that they begin to exhibit accuracy problems in the lower micron sizes.
Topics: Sieve Shakers, "Ask Art", Sonic Sifter, Micron-Sized Particles, Particle Size Analysis, Sieve Testing, Sieving Process
Jim, the Secret Agent, and the Machine That Changed Everything
Posted by Amanda Ranowsky on Oct 29, 2013 12:03:00 PM
Chapter One:
Jim’s life was dull. So, so dull. He spent his days surrounded by piles of sieves – his glamorous job was to calculate the ratio of particles left in the sieves of each stack after a sample of his company’s product was run through the stack using a sieve shaker. It was a job much like the one his cousin Hiram had, although he seemed to remember hearing that Hiram had found an easier way to do it.
Topics: Particle Size Analysis, Sieve Testing, Sieve Analysis
The primary purpose of a sieve shaker is to provide motion to a sample in a test sieve.
An effective sieve shaker creates a motion that presents all the particles to all of the sieve openings and assists particles in passing through. This requires both rotary and vertical motion.
This process seems simple enough, but let's not be taken in.
Topics: Sieve Shakers, Particle Size Analysis, Sieve Testing, Sieves
Is Particle-Size Analysis Boring? Trivial? Amazing? Exciting? Vital?
Posted by Art Gatenby on Nov 2, 2010 3:57:00 PM
When I tell people at cocktail parties that we specialize in Particle-Size Analysis. I usually get a polite response of ------ “OH !!,” which translates to “So who cares?”
Topics: Sonic Sifter, Particle Size Analysis, Sieves, Sieving Process
Certify Sieves or Calibrate Sieves --- Should You Do It?
Posted by Art Gatenby on Jun 30, 2010 4:57:00 PM
The relative value of a sieve certification process vs a sieve calibration has perplexed me for a long time.
Topics: Sieve Shakers, Mid-Point Sieves, Particle Size Analysis, Sieve Calibration, Sieve Testing, Sieves
New ASTM E11-09 Sieve Standards — Exciting or Just Dull ???
Posted by Art Gatenby on Oct 6, 2009 5:42:00 PM
I have often ranted about the limited range of ASTM 11 sieve mesh standards as it relates to individual sieve certification. We at CSC have tried to help clearly distinguish between different levels of inspection and/or degrees of conformity. We outlined three levels of sieve certification. These are working sieves, mesh certified sieves and mid point sieves. There are summary definitions of these categories on the CSC Web site.
Topics: Sieve Shakers, Particle Size Analysis