The introduction of the Apex 400 Press can dramatically cut down on operator involvement and speed up the pellet making process by automating certain steps.
And when used in combination with dies for steel supporting rings, high volume, high throughput sample production for intensive industries such as mining and production is greatly sped up.
Benefits of Apex
Pressing a pellet is a two-stage process involving sample compaction followed by pellet extraction. The procedure takes place in a “pellet die”, which consists of a thick-walled cylindrical tube, a matching piston or “plunger”, and a cap to blank off one end of the tube. A hydraulic press is used to drive the plunger through the bore of the tube, compressing the powders into the capped-off end. During compaction, the powders flow to fit the boundaries of the cavity, and then undergo adhesion into a thin, solid disc or “pellet”.
With a traditional die set, the cap must be manually removed and replaced with an extraction sleeve, which allows the plunger to push the finished pellet clean through the die bore, using a second application of the press.
Apex offers two ways to simplify and speed up this two-stage procedure:
- Pressing in steel rings using a “ring die”
- Pressing with “QuickShift” technology.
Using Ring Dies (single stage pressing)
If you’re looking for a fast and efficient way to make pellets, then a Ring Die might be the perfect solution for you. This process uses durable and reusable steel rings, which sit loosely in the die body and therefore can be easily removed by hand after a single compression stroke. Each sample is prepared in its own steel ring, so it’s important to have several rings on hand in order to produce a full batch of samples. After the samples have been tested, the rings can be cleaned and returned for reuse. Overall, using Ring Dies is a faster process compared to other methods because only a single pressing stage is required.
Quickshift Technology
The APEX 400 features a sliding pressure plate with two positions: a flat ‘load’ position which applies a force to the die body and the sample together; and a recessed ‘release’ position which loads up the die body only and provides space for the finished pellet to release into. The position of the pressure plate is controlled by the APEX press itself as part of its programming, and does not require separate actuation by the user of the press. Quickshift Technology speeds up the two-stage pressing cycle by removing the need to manually adjust the pellet die and press platen for pellet extraction.
Cycle times
The APEX 400 press can produce approximately 40 pellets per hour with single stage pressing in ring dies and 20 pellets per hour using standard dies and Quickshift Technology. Note that the actual rates achieved will depend on the types of sample materials, the pressing sequence, and availability of sufficient sample to work continuously for one hour.
Programming for the Apex Press
Programming the press is easy and intuitive: a new recipe is added and individual steps are added as program blocks using the on-screen editor.
The special ‘end’ symbol has two modes: a standard mode (used for ring dies) which simply ends the program; and a special QuickShift mode, which automates the procedure for extracting a pellet from a standard die.
The Apex press ships with two default programs as an example.
Consider your whole workflow
Pressing powders involves several steps both before and after the actual pressing process. First, materials are mixed and blended, and then homogenized using a mill, which also creates a size distribution ranging from larger particles to small ones. In some cases, sieving and shaking are needed to filter out larger particles.
Once the pellet is pressed, it may be transferred directly to a measuring instrument or remounted in holders beforehand.
Since many processes are happening simultaneously in the lab, automating some parts of the pressing cycle can allow laboratory staff to focus on other parts of the process, particularly preparing the next batch of powders for pressing. This is especially important in industrial settings, where throughput of testing is a significant consideration.
Safety Features
The APEX 400 press has several safety features. No load can be applied if the drawer is open, and switches ensure that it has been fully closed before the press can operate. The progress of any program may be interrupted by pressing the stop key, which is a physical button on the front panel of the press. The die is also fully enclosed in the press when operating, which guarantees that even in the unlikely event of failure, your staff are completely protected.
