Pressed pellets are a method of compacting loose powders into a solid form using a press machine and dies. The process involves filling a ring or cup with the powder sample and applying pressure to form a pellet. The choice of die type (flat disc or cylinder) and the material of the ring or cup (aluminum or PVC) depends on the characteristics of the powder sample. Pelletization can be facilitated by pulverizing the sample or by adding a forming agent (binder) if the sample is difficult to pelletize.
The pellets produced are typically cylindrical with flat ends, and their thickness depends on the amount of material compressed and the force applied. The press used for this process provides a mechanical advantage, allowing a small force applied to the lever to generate a much larger force on the press ram, sufficient to produce firm pellets from most powdered materials.
Pelleting technology is also used for biomass to produce wood pellets, a type of solid biofuel. In this process, the biomass is forced through holes in a die under high pressure and temperature, causing the lignin in the biomass to act as a binder. The resulting pellets are hot and plastic, gaining hardness and mechanical resistance only after cooling.
The advantages of using pressed pellets for XRF (X-ray fluorescence) analysis include better results and greater consistency compared to no preparation at all. Pressing pellets is a convenient, cost-effective, and reliable sample preparation technique that has become an industry standard. It offers flexibility and excellent results at a relatively lower cost compared to other methods like fusing beads, although the latter provides the best results by eliminating certain effects but at a higher running cost.
A pellet mill, or pellet press, is a machine used to create pellets from powdered material, combining small materials into a larger, homogeneous mass. Pellet mills can be categorized into large-scale and small-scale types, with further division into flat die pellet mill and ring die pellet mill based on production capacity.
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