Mixer Mill MM 500 control | Technology Networks

Ideally suited for temperature- and atmosphere-controlled grinding of solid samplesThe MM 500 control is a high energy laboratory ball mill that can be used for dry, wet and cryogenic grinding with a frequency of up to 30 Hz. It is the first mixer mill in the market that allows to monitor and control the temperature of a grinding process.The temperature area covers a range from -100 to 100 °C. For maximum flexibility, the mill can be operated with various thermal fluids, enabling the use of different tempering devices for cooling or heating. If liquid nitrogen is chosen for cooling, the mill needs to be equipped with the optionally available extension device cryoPad. The innovative cryoPad technology allows to select and control a specific cooling temperature in the range from

-100 to 0 °C for the grinding process.In the MM 500 control, the material is processed in Retsch Screw Lock Jars, which are simply mounted on top of thermal plates for tempering. As the grinding jars are in metallic contact with the thermal plates, heat is effectively transferred from or to the jars. The thermal plates in turn are tempered by a thermal fluid.The technical innovations and the advanced design of the MM 500 control offer completely new features:

Different configurationsThe innovative internal tubing system allows to use either liquid nitrogen or another thermal fluid for sample tempering. Cooling can thus be realized with a standard cryostat or a liquid nitrogen tank. For the first time cryogenic temperatures can also be achieved without using liquid nitrogen.

Temperature monitoringThe actual temperatures of the thermal plates are continuously displayed during a grinding process, providing valuable information about the heat development inside the jars.

Screw lock jars

Screw lock jars allow easy handling of samples and a high throughput by using two jars simultaneously with a size of up to 125 ml each. Grinding equipment of zirconium oxide and tungsten carbide is also available for cryogenic grinding.Thermal plates

Allowing the indirect sample cooling and heating in a range from -100 to +100 °C.

CryoPad technology

If liquid nitrogen is used for tempering, the mill must be extended with the optionally available cryoPad device extension. The cryoPad technology allows for the first time to select and maintain a specific cooling temperature for tempering. The accessible area using liquid nitrogen for cooling covers a range from -100 to 0 °C, in steps of 10. The patented PID (proportional–integral–derivative) system of the cryoPad controls the flow of liquid nitrogen through the tubing system and effectively regulates the temperature at the thermal plates. The Mixer Mill MM 500 control is a true World First: the first high energy laboratory ball mill that allows to monitor and control the temperature during a grinding process. This mill offers new perspectives and possibilities for the homogenization of temperature-sensitive sample materials, cryogenic grinding or wet grinding processes and in the field of mechanochemistry.