Laboratory mills, used primarily for sample prep prior to analysis, use particle size reduction (comminution) to grind or homogenize wet, dry, hard, soft, elastic, brittle, and fibrous materials. Mills and grinders are used in labs in widely varying scientific areas, including chemistry, pharmaceuticals, food analysis, materials testing, and life science. Disk, hammer, mortar, planetary ball, rotor, and cutting mills are available to achieve coarse, mid-range, and fine results, all the way down to the nano range, <0.1 µm. Cryogenic mills, or freezer mills, are a type of unit that freezes a material prior to reducing its particle size.
What to consider when choosing a laboratory mill?
When purchasing a mill, power, speed, and cleanability are useful parameters; however, it is also important to keep in mind the instrument’s throughput, reproducibility, and yield, as well as the option of a cooling system, if necessary.
Compare and request a quote for laboratory mills from various manufacturers:
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| Company | RETSCH | RETSCH | RETSCH | RETSCH |
| Item | CryoMill | Cutting Mill SM 50 | Cyclone Mill TWISTER | Mixer Mill MM 500 Nano |
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| Catalog Number | CryoMill | SM 50 | Twister | MM 500 nano |
| Price | | | | |
| Description | The CryoMill is a laboratory ball mill specifically designed for this application. It features an integrated cooling system which continually cools the grinding jar with liquid nitrogen before and during the grinding process. Thus, the sample is embrittled and volatile components are preserved.
The The CryoMill is a laboratory ball mill specifically designed for this application. It features an integrated cooling system which continually cools the grinding jar with liquid nitrogen before and during the grinding process. Thus, the sample is embrittled and volatile components are preserved.
The liquid nitrogen is continually supplied from an autofill system in the exact amount required to keep the temperature at –196 °C. The CryoMill's versatility makes it the ideal grinder for sample quantities up to 20 ml.- powerful grinding by impact and friction with up to 30 Hz
- pulverization of two samples down to 5 micron
- The user never comes into direct contact with LN2 which ensures a high degree of operational safety
- adapter for keeping 2 ml plastic tubes or 2 ml steel tubes available
- special jar zirconium oxide available for heavy-metal free grinding
- suitable forgrinding in interval
- 3 different grinding modes (dry, wet or cryogenic)
- memory for 9 SOPs
- Screw-Top jars
... Read More | The SM 50 is the world's most powerful benchtop cutting mill with a standard one phase power plug. Its 1.5 kW motor drives a large rotor, delivering impressive high-speed cutting power. The max. speed is 4,000 rpm and can be adjusted to suit various applications. The EasyInspect hopper operates on aThe SM 50 is the world's most powerful benchtop cutting mill with a standard one phase power plug. Its 1.5 kW motor drives a large rotor, delivering impressive high-speed cutting power. The max. speed is 4,000 rpm and can be adjusted to suit various applications. The EasyInspect hopper operates on a batch-wise feeding system and can process large sample pieces up to 50 mm with ease. The compact powerhouse features an internal cyclone system, ensuring effortless and efficient processing of various materials. The push-fit grinding chamber is the first in the world which can be taken out for proper cleaning. With its innovative design featuring a removable milling chamber, the SM 50 simplifies cleaning, saving up to 30 % process time. At the same time, the unrivaled powerful benchtop cutting mill with a single phase power plug allows up to 100 % sample recovery and contamination-free sample preparation.
- pulverization of samples down to 250 micron
- integrated cyclone technology
- easy cleaning thanks to push fit accessories including the grinding chamber
- for samples up to 50 mm
- less surfaces-less dust
- Superior cutting speed of 27 m/s.
- 3 double acting cutting bars result in 18 cutting events per round and a specific cutting length of 864 mm per round for superior cutting efficiency.
- Comprehensive and convenient door opening mechanisms with a pivoting handle
- 9 different sieve sizes from 10 mm down to 0.25 mm for standard application or for grinding without heavy-metal contamination
two different rotor types
... Read More | The cyclone mill TWISTER is specially designed for the processing of foods and feeds for subsequent NIR analysis. The optimized form of rotor and grinding chamber generates an air jet which carries the ground sample through the integrated cyclone into the sample bottle. The air jet prevents the The cyclone mill TWISTER is specially designed for the processing of foods and feeds for subsequent NIR analysis. The optimized form of rotor and grinding chamber generates an air jet which carries the ground sample through the integrated cyclone into the sample bottle. The air jet prevents the material from heating up, thus preserving the moisture content.
The provided sieves guarantee an optimum particle size distribution so that it is not necessary to recalibrate the NIR spectrometer. The rotor speed can be adjusted in 3 steps allowing for perfect adaptation to the sample requirements. Cleaning the mill is quick and easy as the air jet effects a complete discharge of the material from the grinding chamber.
This new cyclone mill in proven RETSCH quality optimizes the reproducible sample preparation to NIR analysis thus allowing for meaningful and reliable analysis results.
Features - Ideal for grinding feeds, grains, forage and other similar products
- 3 controlled speeds
- Cyclone separator with 250 ml collecting bottle for quick extraction of sample
- No cross contamination thanks to easy cleaning
- Convenient operating panel
- Professional industrial design with long lifetime
... Read More | The mixer mill MM 500 nano is a compact, versatile bench-top unit which has been developed specially for dry, wet and cryogenic grinding of up to 2 x 45 ml sample material within seconds. With a maximum frequency of 35 Hz, it generates enough energy to produce particles in the nanometer range. The The mixer mill MM 500 nano is a compact, versatile bench-top unit which has been developed specially for dry, wet and cryogenic grinding of up to 2 x 45 ml sample material within seconds. With a maximum frequency of 35 Hz, it generates enough energy to produce particles in the nanometer range. The robust high-performance drive makes the mill suitable for long-term grinding processes up to 99 hours. Hence, the MM 500 nano is the first mixer mill in the market to provide a real alternative to grinding in a planetary ball mill – with more comfortable handling and less warming effects. - powerful grinding by impact and friction with up to 35 Hz
- pulverization of two samples down to the nanometer range < 0.1 micron
- multi-cavity jars 2x 25 ml or 4 x 10 ml available
- adapter for keeping 2 ml plastic tubes or 2 ml steel tubes available
- suitable for long-term grinding processes up to 99 h
- suitable for mechanochemistry applications
- 3 different grinding modes (dry, wet or cryogenic)
- memory for 12 SOPs and 4 program cycles
- Screw-Lock jars, pressure-tight up to 5 bar
GrindControl to measure pressure and temperature available - grinding under inert gas (optional)
- jar design allows full use of the volume, also for wet grinding
- jars remain conveniently clamped for periodic sample extraction or visual checks
... Read More |
| Principle | Impact and Friction | Cutting and Shearing | Impact and Friction | Impact and Friction |
| Sample Size | ≤8 mm | < 50 mm | <10 mm | ≤10 mm |
| Sample Type | Hard, Medium-Hard, Soft, Brittle, Elastic or Fibrous | Soft, Medium-Hard, Fibrous | Fibrous or Soft | Hard, Medium-Hard, Soft, Brittle, Elastic or Fibrous |
| Applications | mechanochemistry, mechanical alloying, size reduction, mixing, homogenization, cryogenic grinding; agriculture, biology, chemistry / plastics, construction materials, engineering / electronics, environment / recycling, food, geology / metallurgy, glass / ceramics, medicine / pharmaceuticals, cell disruption | agriculture, chemicals / plastics, construction materials, electronics, environmental / recyling, food / feed, pharma / biotech / medtech, power generation / energy | Grinding Prior to NIR Analysis: Agriculture, Foods / Feeds, Medicine / Pharmaceuticals | mechanochemistry, mechanical alloying, size reduction, mixing, homogenization, cryogenic grinding; agriculture, biology, chemistry / plastics, construction materials, engineering / electronics, environment / recycling, food, geology / metallurgy, glass / ceramics, medicine / pharmaceuticals |
| Speed | 3 to 30 Hz | 500 to 6,000 min-1 | 10,000 to 14,000 min-1 | 3 to 35 Hz |
| Rotor Type | grinding jar and balls | parallel section rotor / 3-disc rotor, 0.25-10 mm sieves | TWISTER rotor | grinding jar and balls |
| Final Fineness | ~ 5 um | < 0.25 mm | < 500 um | ~0.1 µm |
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