Ball bearing mill PM 400

impactbatchpharmaceutical industry

Overview
The PM 400 is a floor-standing planetary ball mill with four grinding stations accommodating EasyFit jars from 12 ml to 500 ml. It can process up to eight samples simultaneously using stacked jars, providing very high pulverization energy through strong centrifugal forces and short grinding times. The mill is suitable for research tasks (mechanochemistry, co-crystal screening, mechano-synthesis, mechanical alloying, mechanocatalysis), ultrafine colloidal wet grinding and routine mixing/homogenizing of soft, hard, brittle or fibrous materials. An MA version is available for mechanical alloying of hard-brittle materials.

Key Features

• Max. sun wheel speed 400 rpm with large sun wheel
• Accepts feed up to 10 mm and reaches final fineness down to 0.1 µm
• 4 grinding stations for jars from 12 ml to 500 ml; 12–80 ml jars can be stacked (two jars each)
• Optional GrindControl for temperature and pressure measurement inside the jar
• Aeration lids for atmosphere control (e.g. inert gas)
• Floor model with storable SOPs and programmable cycle programs
• Five jar materials for dry and wet grinding to minimize contamination

Fast & Powerful

• Efficient size reduction down to the submicron range
• Wet grinding achieves particle sizes in the nanometer range (<100 nm)
• Variable speeds from 30 to 400 rpm; speed ratios: 1:-2 | 1:-2.5 | 1:-3
• Batch processing: max. 4 × 220 ml (or up to 8 × 20 ml with stacked jars)
• Wide selection of jar and grinding tool materials for contamination-free processing

Reproducibility, Safety and Handling

• Reproducible results via precise speed control
• Secure and ergonomic clamping of grinding jars
• Safety Slider prevents start-up without securely clamped jars
• Counterweight and imbalance sensor enable unsupervised operation
• Ergonomic 1-button operation and clear display for parameter setting
• Automatic grinding chamber ventilation
• Storage for 10 SOPs and programmable start time
• Power-failure backup stores remaining processing time

Settings & Options

• Dry and wet grinding modes
• Suitable for long-term trials (max. 99 h)
• Interval operation with cooling breaks and direction reversal to reduce caking
• Adapters and special lids for specific applications

EasyFit Grinding Jars (Design & Materials)
The EasyFit series is engineered for demanding conditions (long trials, high speed, wet grinding, mechanical alloying) and fits all RETSCH planetary mills. 50–500 ml jars include Advanced Anti-Twist (AAT) on the bottom for secure fixing with a max. twist of 60° to find the clamping position.

• Jar materials: hardened stainless steel, tungsten carbide, agate, sintered aluminium oxide, zirconium oxide
• Stainless steel protective jackets available for non-metallic jars
• Pressure-tight, dust-proof O-ring sealing to prevent spillage
• Groove between jar body and lid for easier opening (helps with underpressure)

Diameter categories (EasyFit)

• Diameter 1: 12 ml and 25 ml jars
• Diameter 2: 50 ml, 80 ml and 125 ml jars
• Diameter 3: 250 ml and 500 ml jars

Available Jar Sizes

• 12 ml
• 25 ml
• 50 ml
• 80 ml
• 125 ml
• 250 ml
• 500 ml

Jars & Lids for Special Applications

• Special closure devices recommended for colloidal or wet grinding (ergonomic handling)
• Aeration lids for inert atmosphere work (e.g. argon, nitrogen)
• Optional GrindControl for in-jar pressure and temperature measurement; different inlays available for various jar materials

Adapter for Special Applications
An adapter enables co-crystal screening with disposable vials (e.g. 1.5 ml GC vials). Adapter: outer ring with 16 positions and inner ring with 8 positions; supports up to 16 vials per outer ring and up to 64 samples simultaneously on the PM 400. Inner ring positions allow different energy inputs per sample.

Recommended jar fillings (table)
Grinding jar nominal volume | Sample amount | Max. feed size | Recommended ball charge (pieces) Ø5 mm | Ø7 mm | Ø10 mm | Ø15 mm | Ø20 mm | Ø30 mm
12 ml | up to ≤5 ml | <1 mm | 50 | 15 | 5 | - | - | -
25 ml | up to ≤10 ml | <1 mm | 95–100 | 25–30 | 10 | - | - | -
50 ml | 5–20 ml | <3 mm | 200 | 50–70 | 20 | 7 | 3–4 | -
80 ml | 10–35 ml | <4 mm | 250–330 | 70–120 | 30–40 | 12 | 5 | -
125 ml | 15–50 ml | <4 mm | 500 | 110–180 | 50–60 | 18 | 7 | -
250 ml | 25–120 ml | <6 mm | 1100–1200 | 220–350 | 100–120 | 35–45 | 15 | 5
500 ml | 75–220 ml | <10 mm | 2000 | 440–700 | 200–230 | 70 | 25 | 8

Typical Sample Materials / Application Examples
Suitable for size reduction of alloys, bentonite, bones, carbon fibres, catalysts, cellulose, cement clinker, ceramics, charcoal, chemical products, clay minerals, coal, coke, compost, concrete, electronic scrap, fibres, glass, gypsum, hair, hydroxyapatite, iron ore, kaolin, limestone, metal oxides, minerals, ores, paints and lacquers, paper, pigments, plant materials, polymers, quartz, seeds, semi-precious stones, sewage sludge, slag, soils, tissue, tobacco, waste samples, wood, etc.

Specifications

• Applications: pulverizing, mixing, homogenizing, colloidal milling, mechanical alloying, mechanosynthesis, nano grinding, co-crystal screening
• Fields: agriculture, biology, chemistry, construction materials, engineering/electronics, environment/recycling, geology/metallurgy, glass/ceramics, medicine/pharmaceuticals
• Feed material: soft, hard, brittle, fibrous - dry or wet
• Size reduction principle: impact, friction
• Material feed size*: < 10 mm
• Final fineness*: < 1 µm; for colloidal grinding < 0.1 µm
• Batch size / feed quantity*: max. 4 × 220 ml; max. 8 × 20 ml with stacked jars
• No. of grinding stations: 4 (or 2)
• Speed ratio: 1:-2 / 1:-2.5 / 1:-3
• Sun wheel speed: 30 - 400 min-1
• Effective sun wheel diameter: 300 mm
• G-force: 26.8 g
• Type of grinding jars: EasyFit; optional aeration covers; safety closure devices
• Material of grinding tools: hardened steel, stainless steel, tungsten carbide, agate, sintered aluminum oxide, silicon nitride, zirconium oxide
• Adapter for single-use glass vials: 24 × 1.5 ml / 7 × 20 ml
• Grinding time setting: digital, 00:00:01 to 99:59:59
• Interval operation: yes, with direction reversal (interval and pause time 00:00:01 to 99:59:59)
• Storable SOPs: 10
• Measurement of input energy: possible
• Interface: RS 232 / RS 485
• Drive: 3-phase asynchronous motor with frequency converter
• Drive power: 1.5 kW
• Power consumption: approx. 2200 W (VA)
• Power connection: 1-phase (different voltages available)
• Protection code: IP 30
• Dimensions (W × H × D closed): 836 × 1220 (1900) × 780 mm
• Net weight: approx. 290 kg
• Standards: CE
• Patent / Utility patent: SafetySlider (DE 202008008473)
• *depending on feed material and instrument configuration/settings