The Hosokawa Micron Viblette VBL-F has set new industry standards for the particle size analysis of cohesive powders and sticky materials, replacing conventional wet sieving methods that can often be messy, inaccurate and cause test sieve screens to block.
Compact, user-friendly, adaptable, safe to use and highly efficient, this innovative wet sieve analyser is capable of accurately measuring the particle size of a wide range of sample materials without clogging up the chosen sieve screen – including carbon black, ceramics, silica, inorganic and organic pigments, agricultural and contaminated soil, precious metals, abrasive grains and minerals.
The Viblette VBL-F boasts a number of useful features that elevate its performance, such as electro-magnetic high-speed screen vibration to help disperse the sample agglomerates and any liquid membranes, for more stable and accurate readings. In addition, the water pressure rate, achieved by the uniquely designed rotating sprinkler system inside, provides up to eight litres of throughput per minute, allowing for a quicker process.
Reliable and repeatable analysis of material from 4,750µm down to 10µm is achieved by the Viblette VBL-F using standard-size sieve screens and pre-defined and controllable parameters, ensuring excellent levels of accuracy in super-quick time and greatly reducing the possibility of out of spec processing and material, which can lead to compromised safety levels for operators and less reliable material data.
For measurement of very cohesive materials down to 5µm, the larger Viblette VBL-Ultra, which utilises the latest ultrasonic technology, would be ideal.
Hosokawa Micron’s Viblette VBL-F particle size analyser is a standard, compact and portable piece of equipment, typically used in a laboratory or R&D setting, and is 320mm wide, 450mm deep and 450mm high.
The analyser very efficiently measures the particle size of a range of sticky and cohesive materials (from 4,750µm down to 10µm) using standard-size sieve screens of 200mm diameter (45mm height) and a method of wet sieving pioneered by Hosokawa Micron.
In addition to the standard VBL-F model, Hosokawa Micron manufactures several other Viblette models, which are designed to analyse more specific material.
The Viblette VBL-F Ultra is a larger, ultrasonic version with dimensions 770mm wide, 740mm deep and 600mm high. The Ultra is perfect for the accurate wet sieving of strong, ultrafine cohesive powders and uses a combination of mechanical and ultrasonic vibration, with a sieve screen that can measure down to 5µm. This model is perfect for sieving particles of silica, for example.
Completing the range is the Viblette-FS model, which is explosion-proof and also perfect for organic solvents.
The Viblette VBL-F is an innovative wet sieve particle analyser specifically designed to accurately and very quickly measure the size of sticky and highly cohesive materials down to 10µm, when dry sieving or laser diffraction scattering are not appropriate methods of measurement.
Mostly used for quality control purposes, the equipment is excellent for wide ranging applications covering a number of industries, from chemicals to food, eliminating fine particles and controlling coarse particles in samples.
Example materials include magnesium hydroxide for flame retardant, hydrated lime for soil improver, titanium oxide for printing ink and cosmetics, magnesium oxide for battery materials, disintegrant for tablet auxiliary, carbon black for tyre and paint manufacture and silica for sealing electronic devices.
*Viblette VBL-Ultra version measures down to 5µm
Hosokawa Micron is an internationally renowned pioneer of particle size analysis methodology and technology and offers a number of laboratory-scale instruments for accurately measuring the sizes of particles, including the iconic, state-of-the-art Air Jet Sieve e200 LS for efficiently dry sieving particle material. Hosokawa Micron invented air jet sieving almost 70 years ago and continues to lead the market with its very popular latest model, which is highly functional, extremely accurate and energy efficient.
The Hosokawa Micron Viblette VBL-F is an impressively accurate wet sieving particle analyser, which utilises the very best methodology and technology to achieve efficient analysis of sticky or cohesive material that might ordinarily clog up the sieving screen.
Traditionally, wet sieving equipment can be messy to use, causing splashing and regularly producing inaccurate results. The equipment is also labour-intensive, requiring high levels of hand-sieving skill and unsophisticated processing methods that produce rarely repeatable results, which is potentially dangerous to the operator and detrimental to quality control standards.
The beauty of the Viblette VBL-F is the automated nature of its functionality, which, though relatively simple, provides the user with enhanced levels of repeatability, extreme accuracy in its results and a performance that is up to a third quicker than traditional sieving methods, saving time and energy.
Capable of analysing material down to 10µm (5µm with the Viblette VBL-Ultra model), the process begins with weighing the sample that will be analysed. This is done by placing the slurry or powder onto the test sieve screen.
The lid of the Viblette VBL-F is then closed so the wet sieving process can begin. Located in the lid above the test sieve screen, a unique double rotating, motorised sprinkler nozzle forcefully and accurately sprays the sample with water (or a similar washing liquid) to disperse the agglomerate, spinning very quickly to help evenly distribute the particles with minimal liquid waste.
The water feeds into the equipment via an inlet at the back of the unit and is pumped into the sprinkler before draining away when the sieving process is complete. Up to eight litres of water a minute can pump through the Viblette VBL-F, adding to its efficiency. A built-in vibration system assists with the dispersal of the material and also works to break any liquid membranes on the sieve’s surface to enable stabilised, quicker processing of fine particles and water through the sieve without clogging.
Samples are typically in the region of between 50 to 200 grams, depending on the material.
After the material has been processed through the Viblette VBL-F, the final stage is to weigh the test sieve screen and material sample, once dried, to determine the weight differential between the measurement taken prior to sieving and that taken after.
Controllable parameters – such as mesh size, sieving time, water flow rate and vibration frequency – allow for establishing guaranteed repeatability and reliability during processing, making the Viblette VBL-F an important asset for achieving the highest quality standards for particle analysis.
Hosokawa Micron Ltd is a globally renowned powder processing company with more than a century of pioneering expertise and practical design and manufacturing experience, working on behalf of customers from a wide variety of manufacturing sectors for a diverse range of applications, including laboratory equipment perfect for R&D and laboratory use.
The Viblette VBL-F is a standalone, compact piece of laboratory equipment for the benchtop and is used for analysing the particle size of dielectric or cohesive dry material.
*Specialised software requires a computer (not supplied)
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