: Detected color defects can trigger an optional 4-20mA output for automated process control. Common Applications
: A ring light surrounds the camera to provide uniform illumination of the flowing particles.
The system uses a high-speed camera mounted above a vibratory feeder that moves the product in a consistent stream. lab solidsizer with color analysis
Unlike static microscopy, particles are measured in motion. This provides a more representative sample of the bulk material.
Since this is often applied in the pharmaceutical, pigment, and chemical industries, the best paper is one that demonstrates how particle size directly influences color (via the Mie theory) and how combining both measurements improves process understanding. : Detected color defects can trigger an optional
In mining and mineral processing, the device is revolutionary for assessing liberation . Consider a copper sulfide ore: valuable chalcopyrite (yellow) is intergrown with gangue (gray). A traditional laser sizer reports that 80% of particles are <100 µm. The color-enabled solidsizer, however, can report that among particles <100 µm, only 60% are chalcopyrite by count, and the rest are liberated gangue. This directly informs the flotation engineer of the theoretical maximum recovery.
The development of a lab solidsizer with color analysis requires careful orchestration of hardware and software. A typical configuration begins with a high-resolution, machine-vision camera coupled with a telecentric lens to ensure accurate dimensional measurement without parallax error. Particles are presented to the camera in a dispersed monolayer, typically via a vibrating feeder or an air-dispersal system. Crucially, the illumination system must be controlled and standardized. Unlike consumer photography, which compensates for white balance, a scientific instrument requires a calibrated, broad-spectrum light source (e.g., full-spectrum LED) and a reference standard (such as a white ceramic tile) to correct for drift. The camera captures RGB (red-green-blue) images, which are then transformed into a perceptually uniform color space like CIELAB (L a b*), where L* represents lightness, a* represents red-green, and b* represents yellow-blue. Software algorithms then segment each particle from the background, calculate its Feret diameter (or equivalent circular area), and extract the mean, median, or modal color values for its pixel set. Unlike static microscopy, particles are measured in motion
The development of a laboratory solidsizer with integrated color analysis represents a decisive move away from univariate characterization toward multivariate reality. By simultaneously measuring particle size and optical color, the instrument provides a richer, more actionable dataset that distinguishes particles not just by their dimensions but by their identity. This convergence of physical and chemical sensing—at the single-particle level—empowers industries to optimize liberation, ensure purity, and guarantee quality with unprecedented precision. In an era where material complexity continues to grow, the simple question "how big?" is no longer sufficient. The modern lab demands a device that can also answer: "what is it, and is it pure?" The color-aware solidsizer meets that demand, transforming a routine measurement into a powerful diagnostic tool.
"Particle size analysis by laser diffraction: when the technique deceives us. The importance of color."