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GranuTools now offering its expertise and extended range of instruments to characterize powders and granular materials in various conditions/geometries.

It is well known that flow properties of powders are governed by the intrinsic grain properties and forces acting on and between the grains. However, what one often forgets is the dramatic influence of the conditions under which powders are processed (stress state, flow field, relative humidity, and temperature). Therefore, the instrument and the conditions used to characterize the flow properties of a powder must be wisely selected to mimic its industrial processing conditions.

To this end, GranuTools has developed, over the past years, a whole range of state-of-the-art equipment to allow characterizing the flow properties of powders and granular materials in many different geometries and conditions.

 
GranuHeap: an automated heap shape measurement method based on image processing and analysis. A state-of-the-art instrument to measure the well-known “angle of repose”. This instrument provides a quick and easy way to study powders in a static configuration and provides a fast and intuitive classification of powders according to their angle of repose.
 
GranuPack: The historical “tap-tap test” taken to a whole new level of precision. The bulk density, the tapped density, and the Hausner ratio (or Carr index) measurement are very popular for powder characterization. Moreover, the density and the ability of a powder to increase its density are important parameters for storage, transportation, caking, etc.
 
GranuFlow: The GranuFlow instrument is a laboratory hopper associated with an electronic balance. This instrument allows studying powder behavior in a vertical flow (hopper) geometry and gives access to the minimum aperture size (Dmin) and the Beverloo parameter (Cb) related to the flowability of the sample in this configuration.
 
GranuDrum: an automated powder flowability measurement method based on the rotating drum principle. The instrument measures the flowing angle (also known in the literature as ‘dynamic angle of repose’) and the dynamic cohesive index, as a function of the rotating speed. This instrument characterizes powders in a dynamic configuration, at low stress state and various (from low to high) flow field conditions. It also measures the thixotropy, the rheology, the first avalanche angle, and the powder aeration during the flow.
 
GranuCharge: The influence of electrostatics in pharmaceuticals powders can be dramatic for feeding variability, and thus for dose variability. Electrostatics can cause the powder to stick, and eventually to clog feeders, hopers, etc. The GranuCharge measures automatically and precisely the quantity of electrostatic charges building-up inside a powder during a flow in contact with a specific material. Many different materials are available to test your powder (Stainless steel, ABS, HDPE, PVC, ...).

 
In addition to this extended range of flow geometries, GranuTools offers the possibility to run tests varying the environmental conditions (temperature and/or relative humidity). So, no matter what your processing conditions or geometry are, GranuTools has the right solution for you.

If you are interested, do not hesitate to reach out to them and discuss your processing conditions to find the perfect configuration to study your powders, according to your process.

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