Automatic milling and pressing system (AMP)

Fully automatic in 4 steps

Dosing unit

The dosing unit takes over the volumetric separation of a partial quantity of the fed bulk sample for the subsequent main grinding and production of the test specimen. The excess material that is not separated from the bulk sample is first used for rinsing grinding.

The integrated grinding aid dosing system can add the required number of grinding aid tablets for rinsing and main grinding to the sample material to be ground, depending on the presetting.

Vibratory disk mill

Crushing & Milling of the bulk sample is carried out using a proven sample preparation technology, the vibratory disk mill. The mill is equipped with a grinding vessel made of tungsten carbide, which has been optimized for use in the AMP. The shell surface of the vessel can be lifted from the base after the set grinding time has elapsed so that the bulk sample can be discharged quickly. The grinding vessel can be blown out via the integrated nozzles after grinding is complete.

Press

The fine material obtained from the main grinding is pressed into a sample ring by means of a hydropneumatic cylinder. The cylinder enables the implementation of the preselected cycle for pressure build-up, holding pressure and decomposition pressure. Once the pressing process is complete, the test specimen is fed to a test device. Here, the pressed tablet is subjected to a vacuum test to ensure minimum stability of the test specimen.

Cleaning

In order to operate the AMP fully automatically, the components are blown off via compressed air nozzles after each grinding and pressing process. The resulting contaminated air is collected via internal dedusting lines to a collective connection on the housing, which must be connected to an external dedusting system.

Control system

The integrated PLC control with the touchscreen built into the housing enables simple and clear operation of the machine. The different grinding times, the number of grinding aid tablets and the pressing parameters can be entered and saved. In the event of a fault, plain text displays make it easier for the operator to localize the fault – a prerequisite for a quick return to automatic operation.