Why Measure Powder Flowability?
Accurate powder flowability measurement is essential in pharmaceuticals, food processing and materials science. Poor flow leads to uneven mixing, difficult tablet compression and inconsistent capsule filling.
By assessing flow characteristics, manufacturers can catch issues early in production and safeguard product quality and process efficiency.
Flowability depends on many factors: particle size distribution, particle shape, density and electrostatic state.
It can be evaluated with a single parameter — angle of repose, compressibility or angle of spatula. More rigorously, though, flowability is a weighted combination of several powder-characterization indices. The right measurement method depends on the powder, the properties to assess and the intended application.
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Common methods for measuring powder flowability:
• Flow Function Measurement
• Wall Friction Measurement
• Shear Cell Testing
• Cohesion Measurement
• Angle of Repose Measurement
• Angle of Spatula Measurement
• Bulk Density
Instruments such as the Brookfield Powder Flow Tester (PFT), the Erweka Granule and Powder Flow Tester (GTB) and the Bettersize PowderPro are used to assess and quantify powder flow.
Explore our range of instruments for powder flowability.
Powder Flow Tester (PFT)
Brookfield
The Brookfield Powder Flow Tester (PFT) is a well-established tool for evaluating the flow function and wall friction of powders. It supports quality control and process optimization, providing data on the relationship between consolidation stress and powder flow.
The PFT delivers quick, straightforward analysis of powder flow behavior.
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PowderPro A1
Bettersize
The PowderPro A1 is a smart powder analyzer that measures and calculates 14 physical properties in line with various international standards — accurately and reproducibly (e.g. angle of repose, bulk and tapped density). It's a key tool for understanding and researching powders.
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GTB
Erweka
The Erweka GTB (Granule and Powder Flow Tester) evaluates the flow properties of granules and powders using USP/EP-compliant methods. It provides insight into key parameters such as flowability (by volume or weight) and the angle of repose.
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The PFT Powder Flow Tester delivers quick and easy analysis of powder flow behavior in industrial processing equipment. It is ideal for manufacturers who process powders daily and want to minimize or eliminate downtime and expense that can occur when hoppers discharge erratically or fail to discharge altogether.
The Brookfield Powder Flow Tester is the simple answer to industry needs:
- A competent lab technician can run tests and collect data within minutes, eliminating the need for a powder specialist.
- The automated analysis provided by the Powder Flow Pro software calculates various properties of the powder, including the critical dimensions for reliable powder flow out of the hoppers, feeders, bins and silos.
- The Wolfson Center for Bulk Solids Handling Technology at the University of Greenwich, England, has worked closely with Brookfield to design the Powder Flow Tester, thereby ensuring its suitability for practical industrial use.
- The competitive purchase price is a small fraction of comparable devices available in the powder flow market.
Analysis of the “Flow Function” leads to calculation of the critical outlet dimensions of feeders, hoppers, etc., through which the powder will flow.
Comparing the “Flow Function”, or these critical dimensions, allows powders to be benchmarked, ranked and compared against one another for flowability.
The dimensions can also be used to determine whether a particular powder will flow through an existing plant or process, or to determine what the geometry should be if purchasing new solids handling equipment.
Applications include but are not limited to R&D, Incoming Materials Inspection, New Product Formulation, Quality Control, Process Plant Design.
FEATURES AND BENEFITS
- Tests powders for formulation, characterization and QA/QC
- Quickly and easily develop product SOP
- Minimize or eliminate production downtime and expense
- Compact design - easily fits on a workbench
- Easy to use and intuitive Powder Flow Pro software included
- Full Flow Function Test in 25 minutes
- Bulk Density (Fill and Final)
- Time Consolidation Test with Full Flow Function data
- Wall Friction
- Flow Index
- Arching Dimensions
- Rat-hole Diameter
- Hopper Half Angle
- Gravity Chute Angle
- Compressibility (Carr) Index
- Compressibility (Hausner) Ratio
- Choice of faster Flow Function Tests for QA/QC
- Data Output to Excel
- Comprehensive report generation
The manual ERWEKA SMG 697 and SMG 53466 are the units for the reproducible determination of apparent bulk density, which can be used with all free flowing powders or granulates.
According to DIN ISO 697 and DIN 53 466, the apparent bulk density is determined by measuring the mass of powder in a receiver of known dimension after filling from a funnel of a specified shape under specified conditions.
Included in the delivery are the apparatus SMG 697 or SMG 53466, operating instructions and a calibration certificate.
