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 | Planetary Ball Mill PM 100 | Cyclone Mill TWISTER | Knife Mill GRINDOMIX GM 300 | Ultra Centrifugal Mill ZM 200 |
| Citations | | | | |
| Catalog Number | PM 100 | Twister | GM 300 | ZM 200 |
| Price | | | | |
| Description | Planetary Ball Mills are used wherever the highest degree of fineness is required. Apart from the classical mixing and size reduction processes, the mills also meet all the technical requirements for colloidal grinding and have the energy input necessary for mechanical alloying processes. The Planetary Ball Mills are used wherever the highest degree of fineness is required. Apart from the classical mixing and size reduction processes, the mills also meet all the technical requirements for colloidal grinding and have the energy input necessary for mechanical alloying processes. The extremely high centrifugal forces of the Planetary Ball Mills result in very high pulverization energy and therefore short grinding times.
The PM 100 CM is a convenient benchtop model with 1 grinding station. It operates in centrifugal mode mode, which leads to a more gentle size reduction process with less abrasion.
Features - Powerful and quick grinding down to nano range
- Perfect stability on lab bench thanks to FFCS technology
- Innovative counter weight and imbalance sensor for unsupervised operation
- Gentle grinding in centrifugal mode
- Comfortable parameter setting via display and ergonomic 1-button operation
- Automatic grinding chamber ventilation
- 10 SOPs can be stored
- Programmable starting time
- Power failure backup ensures storage of remaining grinding time
- Reproducible results due to energy and speed control
- Suitable for long-term trials and continuous use
- 2 different grinding modes (dry and wet)
- Optional pressure and temperature measuring system PM GrindControl
- Measurement of energy input
- Wide range of materials for contamination free grinding
- Safety Slider for safe operation
... 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 new knife mill GRINDOMIX GM 300 is the ideal instrument for the grinding and homogenization of foodstuffs. It allows to process sample volumes up to 4.5 liters quickly and reproducibly.
With four sharp, robust blades and a powerful motor which can reach temporary peaks of 3 kW, it is ideal for The new knife mill GRINDOMIX GM 300 is the ideal instrument for the grinding and homogenization of foodstuffs. It allows to process sample volumes up to 4.5 liters quickly and reproducibly.
With four sharp, robust blades and a powerful motor which can reach temporary peaks of 3 kW, it is ideal for homogenizing substances with a high water, oil or fat content as well as for grinding dry, soft and medium-hard products. The GRINDOMIX GM 300 meets and exceeds all special laboratory and analytical requirements and is a professional device superior to any commercial household mixer.
Features - Efficient size reduction of up to 4,500 ml feed quantity due to a powerful 1.1 kW motor (peak power input >3 kW)
- Pre- and fine-grinding in one mill: cutting action in regular mode, grinding by impact in reverse mode, pre-grinding in interval mode
- All parts which come into contact with the sample material are autoclavable
- Perfect adaptation to application requirements by variable speed from 500 to 4,000 min-1 with an increment of 100 min-1
- Optional gravitation lid for automatic reduction of the grinding chamber volume
- 10 SOPs can be stored
- Grinding jar in plastic and stainless steel available
... Read More | The Ultra Centrifugal Mill ZM 200 is a high speed rotor mill with unmatched performance. It is used for the rapid size reduction of soft to medium-hard and fibrous materials.
Because of the efficient size reduction technique the ZM 200 ensures the gentle preparation of analytical samples in a very The Ultra Centrifugal Mill ZM 200 is a high speed rotor mill with unmatched performance. It is used for the rapid size reduction of soft to medium-hard and fibrous materials.
Because of the efficient size reduction technique the ZM 200 ensures the gentle preparation of analytical samples in a very short time. The comprehensive range of accessories including a large variety of ring sieves and rotors as well as collection systems makes the Ultra Centrifugal Mill a versatile instrument that can be easily adapted to varying applications. The optional Vibratory Feeder is load-controlled via an interface and ensures a uniform grind at maximum output rate. With thousands of installations, the ZM 200 has become a standard for food and feeds, for the chemical industry as well as for agricultural testing.
Features - Powerdrive with optimally matched frequency converter and 3-phase motor
- Comfortable parameter setting via display and ergonomic 1-button operation
- Wide range of accessories including various collection and feeding systems, rotors and sieves
- Gentle and very rapid size reduction by pre- and fine grinding in one run
- Wide speed range
- Patented cassette system for maximum sample recovery and easy cleaning
- Easily exchangeable grinding and sieve inserts
- Defined final fineness due to ring sieves sieves with aperture sizes from 0.08 - 10 mm
- Comfortable safety housing with automatic cover closure
- Motor compartment and electronics protected against dust and material penetration
... Read More |
| Principle | Impact and Friction | Impact and Friction | Cutting | Impact and Shearing |
| Sample Size | < 10 mm | <10 mm | ~ 130 mm | < 10 mm |
| Sample Type | Soft, Hard, Brittle or Fibrous - Dry or Wet | Fibrous or Soft | Soft, Medium-Hard, Elastic, Containing Water/Fat/Oil, Dry or Fibrous | Soft, Medium-Hard, Brittle or Fibrous |
| Applications | Pulverizing, Mixing, Homogenizing and Colloidal Milling: Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry / Plastics, Construction Materials, Engineering / Electronics, Environment / Recycling, Geology / Metallurgy, Glass / Ceramics, Medicine / Pharmaceuticals | Grinding Prior to NIR Analysis: Agriculture, Foods / Feeds, Medicine / Pharmaceuticals | Size Reduction, Homogenization and Mixing: Agriculture, Biology, Food, Medicine / Pharmaceuticals | Fine Grinding: Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry / Plastics, Construction Materials, Engineering / Electronics, Environment / Recycling, Food, Geology / Metallurgy, Medicine / Pharmaceuticals |
| Speed | 100 to 650 min-1 | 10,000 to 14,000 min-1 | 500 to 4000 min-1 | 6,000 to 18,000 min-1 |
| Rotor Type | grinding jar and balls | TWISTER rotor | Stainless steel knife, knife with titanium-niob coating | 6, 12 or 24 tooth rotor, 8 tooth mini-rotor |
| Final Fineness | < 1 um or < 0.1 um for Colloidal Grinding | < 500 um | < 300 um | < 80 nm |
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