Planetary Ball Mill Small Laboratory Dry And Wet Dual-purpose With Agate Grinding Jar

This system is a high-purity, versatile benchtop grinding instrument designed for research and development applications where the absolute integrity of the sample is paramount. The combination of the high-energy planetary milling principle with the exceptional properties of an agate grinding jar makes it an ideal choice for preparing contamination-free samples for sensitive analytical techniques.

1. Core Innovation: The Dual-Purpose Design

The "dual-purpose" designation means the mill and its agate jar assembly are specifically engineered to perform two key functions with high efficiency:

Dry Grinding: The system can pulverize dry, brittle materials into fine powders.

Wet Grinding (or Wet Milling): It can also grind materials suspended in a liquid to create slurries or colloidal dispersions, which is essential for achieving nanometer-scale particles and for processing elastic materials.

This versatility is achieved through a robust jar design featuring a secure sealing mechanism that prevents leakage during the high-energy movements of wet grinding, while remaining easy to open and clean for dry grinding cycles.

2. The Heart of Purity: The Agate Grinding Jar

The choice of Agate (a form of silica/SiO₂) for the grinding jar and balls is the most critical aspect for applications requiring purity. Its properties include:

Exceptional Chemical Inertness: Agate is highly resistant to almost all acids, alkalis, and organic solvents (except hydrofluoric acid). This ensures no chemical contamination from the jar interacts with the sample.

High Hardness & Low Wear: With a Mohs hardness of approximately 7, agate is harder than many common materials. This results in minimal abrasion during milling, preventing contamination by trace metals—a common problem with stainless steel jars. This is non-negotiable for techniques like ICP-MS.

Smooth, Non-porous Surface: The polished interior minimizes sample adhesion and allows for easy and complete cleaning between uses.

3. Technical Specifications

4. Operational Workflow: Dry vs. Wet

Dry Grinding Process:

Loading: The dry sample is placed directly into the agate jar with the appropriate-sized agate grinding balls.

Milling: The sealed jar is mounted on the mill. The planetary motion causes the balls to impact and crush the material through high-energy collisions.

Result: A fine, dry powder. Ideal for X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and general powder analysis.

Wet Grinding Process:

Loading: The sample, grinding balls, and a suitable liquid (e.g., water, ethanol, hexane) are combined in the jar to form a slurry.

Milling: The same high-energy process occurs, but the liquid acts as a coolant and dispersant, preventing particle re-agglomeration.

Result: A homogeneous nano-suspension or an ultra-fine slurry. Essential for creating nano-dispersions and for grinding ductile materials.

5. Key Advantages

Ultra-Low Contamination: The agate jar ensures the sample's elemental composition remains unaltered, which is critical for accurate trace element analysis.

Unmatched Versatility: A single machine handles both dry and wet milling tasks, making it a cost-effective core instrument for any lab.

Superior for Nano-Preparation: Wet grinding in an inert agate environment is a proven method for producing stable nano-particles.

Ideal for Small Batches: The small jar sizes are perfect for R&D work where materials are expensive or available only in limited quantities.

6. Primary Applications

This instrument is essential in fields where purity and fine grinding converge:

Geochemistry & Geology: Preparing rock, mineral, and soil samples for trace element analysis by ICP-MS or XRF without metallic contamination.

Archaeology & Cultural Heritage: Grinding pottery, pigments, and artifact samples for compositional analysis without introducing modern contaminants.

Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology: Size reduction of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and homogenization of biological samples where chemical inertness is required.

Ceramics & Electronics: Grinding high-purity ceramic powders and precursor materials.

Quality Control Labs: Used in industries like cement and pigments for standardized, contamination-free sample preparation.