Freeman Technology's latest powder tester is the Uniaxial Powder Tester (UPT), a stand-alone uniaxial tester for simple, sensitive and cost-efficient powder characterisation.
Developed in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh and a major industrial powder processor, the new tester delivers automated, highly repeatable measurement and provides a cost effective alternative to traditional powder testing techniques, the Tewkesbury, UK-based firm says.
'Uniaxial powder testing is a simple and intuitive method that measures an intrinsic property of a bulk solid,' said Tim Freeman, Managing Director of Freeman Technology. 'The UPT draws on our in-depth understanding of powders and the precision engineering that underpins the worldwide success of the FT4 Powder Rheometer. The result is a completely new, repeatable, versatile, low cost and robust powder tester for process development, troubleshooting and QC.'
This new tester has a number of innovative features that are crucial to ensure reproducible measurement for a wide range of powders
The new instrument measures unconfined yield strength (UYS), a parameter typically derived indirectly through biaxial shear cell analysis, which is widely used to assess and rank the flowability of powders. Uniaxial testing involves the construction of a consolidated powder column, which is then fractured through the application of a vertical stress to directly measure UYS, also known as σc. Fundamental to the successful implementation of the technique is the construction of a uniformly consolidated powder column, and subsequent removal of the containing sleeve with minimal disturbance of the compacted column.
'This new tester has a number of innovative features that are crucial to ensure reproducible measurement for a wide range of powders, including a unique and novel system for the application of double-ended compression,' said Freeman. 'Extensive in-house research has shown that the UPT can successfully measure and rank σc, compressibility and density of many industrially relevant powders, even those that are relatively free-flowing.'
The new instrument is available in either a manual or advanced version. Both deliver the same data with the same high repeatability, while the advanced version also offers increased automation and reduced operator input.
