Picoline

A stable platform, powerful software and numerous options:

Machine for fine grinding, classifying or mixing powders in laboratories
Especially for processing very small product quantities of a few millilitres
Compact and modular design with numerous functional modules
Separation of control and work unit
Consisting of four parts: Platform control, process platform, function modules and accessories

Module name	Alpine machine type	Size	Fineness
Piconizer	Spiral jet mill (AS)	AS 33	d90 < 20µm
Picojet	Fluidised bed opposed jet mill (AFG)FG)	AFG 40	d97 < 5 µm
Picosplit	Classifier (ATP)	ATP 20	d97 < 5µm
Picozirk	Classifier mill (ZPS)	ZPS 20	d97 < 20 µm
Picoplex	Fine impact mill (UPZ with pin discs)	UPZ 40	d90 < ca. 80 µm
Picoplex	Fine impact mill (UPZ with plate beater unit)	UPZ 40	d90 ca. 120 µm
Picocross	High-speed fine impact mill C/CW	C 40	d90 ca. 50µm
Picocrush	Hammer mill (HA)	4/2	d90 < 0,5-1 µm
Picobond	Coating (Nobilta)	NOB-80
Picobond	Coating (AMS)	AMS-80
Picomix	Mixer (Cyclomix)	CLX 0.1

Spatter-grain-free results in the entire separation area

Combination of the classifying head with different types of grinders (coarse material hopper, jet mill, classifier mill) for maximum flexibility
Classifying wheel and motor bearing gas flushed
High precision of cut
Compressed air or inert gas operation
Space-saving design
Easy handling
Designs: Stainless steel and wear-protected (ceramic) version for contamination-free reprocessing, batch mode or continuous mode
Classifying head based on the ATP air classifier from Hosokawa Alpine

Separation range	2 µm - 120 µm
Classifying wheel diameter	20 mm
Classifying speed	max. 60,000 rpm
Total air volume	max. 20 Nm3/h

Classification takes place according to the centrifugal counterflow principle in a rapidly rotating classifying wheel.
The powder is dosed into the viewing chamber and transported to the viewing wheel by the air flow.
Fine particles pass through the wheel, are discharged with the air and separated in a cyclone filter combination or in a filter.
Coarse particles are rejected by the classifying wheel and collected in a collection container.
The separating air is fed into the lower part of the housing via a paddle ring; this disperses the rejected coarse material and increases the separating efficiency of the separator.
The separating cut is adjusted by varying the gas volume and the classifier speed.

1 Classifier wheel 2 Classifier drive 3 Process air 4 Coarse material container

Sharp and easily adjustable cut point

Mechanical impact mill with integrated classifier for dry fine grinding of soft to medium-hard materials with a steep particle size distribution
Plate beater rotor with grinding track
Sharp and easily adjustable separation line
Cool and gentle grinding
Compressed air or inert gas operation
Motor bearing mill and classifier gas flushed
Continuous operation
Designs: Stainless steel and wear-protected (ceramic) variant
The design and mode of operation largely correspond to the Zirkoplex ZPS classifier mill from Hosokawa Alpine

Separation range	15 µm - 120 µm
Grinding to Mohs hardness	3,5
Classifying wheel diameter	20mm
Grinding disc diameter	40 mm
Classifier speed	max. 60,000 rpm
Total air volume	approx. 20 Nm3/h

Grinding is carried out by a rapidly rotating disc with grinding tools. The ground material is dosed into the grinding container and accelerated by the grinding rotor. Comminution is achieved by particle impact on the grinding tools of the rotor and by impact on the grinding track.
The grinding air flows from below through the grinding gap between the rotor and the grinding track and then through the classifier wheel located in the head of the mill.
Due to the classifying effect of the classifying wheel, fine particles can escape from the grinder with the air and are separated in a filter. Coarser particles fall back onto the rotor and are crushed further until they have reached the desired fineness.
The classifier mill is adjusted via the speeds of the grinding rotor and the classifier wheel as well as via the gas volume.

1 Classifier wheel 2 Classifier drive 3 Beater disc 4 Grinding track 5 Process air

Universal grinder with flexible equipment

Mechanical rotor impact mill for dry grinding of soft to medium-hard materials
Continuous operation
Filter element for venting
Tubeless purge air supply
Engine bearing gas flushed
Stainless steel design
Designs: Pin disc rotor or grinding track/plate beater combination
The design and mode of operation largely correspond to the UPZ series from Hosokawa Alpine

Separation range	50 µm - 500 µm
Grinding to Mohs hardness	4
Rotor diameter	40 mm
Speed	max. 60,000 rpm
Propellant air volume	max. 1 Nm³/h

The material to be ground is dosed into the centre of a rotor equipped with grinding tools and crushed by impact on the rotor and stator tools.
After passing through the grinding zone, the ground material enters the mill housing and exits the mill by gravity. The rotation creates an air flow from which the ground material is separated in a filter.

1 Pin disc (stator) 2 Pin disc (rotor) 3 Grinding disc drive

Different grinding tools can be used, e.g. rotor/stator discs with axial pins or a plate beater rotor with a profiled grinding path or with a sieve.
The fineness of the grinder is adjusted by the rotor speed and the feed rate.

1 Plate beater 2 Grinding track 3 Grinding tool drive

Coarse or pre-comminution of soft to medium-hard materials

Mechanical hammer mill for dry (pre-)comminution of larger granulates and agglomerates of soft to medium-hard materials
Hammer mechanism with freely movable blow bars
Grinding tool combined with grinding track and different sieve sizes for easy replacement
Engine bearing gas flushed
Tubeless purge air supply
Continuous operation
Stainless steel design
Designs: Sieve inserts with different opening diameters, with suction to support the product feed
The design and mode of operation largely correspond to the Ha hammer mill from Hosokawa Alpine

Separation range	1 - 3 mm
Grinding to Mohs hardness	4
Rotor diameter	40 mm
Speed	max. 30,000 rpm

The ground material is dosed into the centre of two counter-rotating pin discs and crushed by impact against the grinding pins.
The high shear rate of the counter-rotating discs enables particularly intensive stressing of the particles.
After passing through the grinding zone, the ground material enters the mill housing and exits the mill by gravity.
The rotation creates an air flow from which the ground material is separated in a filter.
The grinder is adjusted by the speed of the two rotors and the feed rate.

1 Counter-rotating pin discs 2 Pin disc drive

Ultra-fine impact grinding of soft to medium-hard materials

2-rotor counter-rotating impact mill with pin disc tool for dry grinding of soft to medium-hard materials
Pin disc rotor with counter-rotating pin discs
Engine bearing gas flushed
Tubeless purge air supply
Continuous operation
Stainless steel design
The design and mode of operation largely correspond to the Contraplex C series from Hosokawa Alpine

Separation range	30-500 µm
Grinding to Mohs hardness	4
Rotor diameter	40 mm
Speed	2x max. 60,000 rpm

The ground material is dosed into the centre of two counter-rotating pin discs and crushed by impact against the grinding pins.
The high shear rate of the counter-rotating discs enables particularly intensive stressing of the particles.
After passing through the grinding zone, the ground material enters the mill housing and exits the mill by gravity.
The rotation creates an air flow from which the ground material is separated in a filter.
The grinder is adjusted by the speed of the two rotors and the feed rate.

1 Counter-rotating pin discs 2 Pin disc drive

Contamination-free comminution

Fluidised bed counter jet mill with integrated classifier for contamination-free dry ultrafine grinding of medium-hard to extremely hard materials
Steep grain distribution and sharp upper grain boundary
Cool and gentle grinding
Horizontal nozzle arrangement, nozzles integrated in housing extension
Compressed air or inert gas operation
Classifying wheel gap and motor bearing gas flushed
Designs: Stainless steel and wear-protected (ceramic) version, batch mode or continuous mode operation, different nozzle arrangement
The design and mode of operation largely correspond to the fluidised bed opposed jet mill AFG series from Hosokawa Alpine

Separation range	2-120 µm
Grinding to Mohs hardness	10
Classifying wheel diameter	20 mm
Grinding chamber diameter	40 mm
Classifier speed	max. 60,000 rpm
Total air volume	max. 20 Nm³/h

The grinding energy is introduced by highly accelerated air jets via several grinding nozzles.
The ground material is dosed into the grinding container and fluidised by the air jets. The particles are accelerated by the air jets that meet at the focal point. Size reduction is achieved by particle impact at the focal point and by shear flows at the edges of the air jets.
The grinding air then flows through a classifying wheel located in the head of the mill, where classification takes place. Due to the classifying wheel with air, fine particles can escape from the grinder with the air and are separated in a filter. Coarser particles fall back into the fluidised bed and are crushed further until they have reached the desired fineness.
The fineness is set via the air volume, the grinding air pressure and the classifier wheel speed.

1 Classifier wheel 2 Classifier drive 3 Grinding chamber 4 Process air

For soft to medium-hard products

Spiral jet mill for dry grinding of soft to medium-hard materials
Archiving of process data in the platform
Compressed air or inert gas operation
Lid with integrated static classifier and integrated nozzle ring with four nozzles and grinding air connection
Nozzle ring with dead space-free milled nozzles
Mill housing with integrated injector for material feed
Tubeless grinding and injector air supply through platform adapter
Designs: Stainless steel and wear-protected (ceramic) variant
Also available as a stand-alone version without platform: Electroless version purely via compressed air, control via manual valve, small space requirement
The design and mode of operation largely correspond to the AS series from Hosokawa Alpine

Separation range	5-40 µm
Grinding to Mohs hardness	3-8
Grinding air volume	33 mm
Grinding air volume	max. 4 Nm³/h
Propellant air volume	max. 1 Nm³/h
Grinding air pressure	2–9 bar O
Motive air pressure	2–9 bar O

Several gas nozzles are used to generate a rapidly rotating vortex of air. The ground material is fed into the disc-shaped grinding chamber via an injector.
The comminution takes place through particle collisions caused by the velocity gradients in the air flow.
The grinding gas is discharged through an immersion tube located in the centre of the grinding chamber. The potential vortex flow creates a classifying effect so that only fine particles can leave the grinder through the immersion tube and are separated in a cyclone filter combination, cyclone or filter. Coarser particles remain in the grinding chamber until they have reached the desired fineness.
The grinding gas quantity, the grinding gas pressure and the throughput can be varied to set the degree of micronisation.

1 Injector 2 Injector gas 3 Nozzle ring 4 Grinding gas 5 Grinding zone

Mechano-chemical functionalisation of dry particles

Mixing reactor for the mechano-chemical functionalisation of dry particles (particle design)
Mixing or intensive mixing (coating) possible
Segregation prevention through mechanofusion
Protection against product heating through process chamber cooling
Can be purged with inert gas
Easy filling and emptying
Measuring devices for influencing the desired product quality (product temperature, rotor speed, motor power)
Batch mode
Parts in contact with the product are made of stainless steel
Designs: Mechanofusion rotor with stator lid or inclined blade agitator, for contamination-free preparation
The design and mode of operation largely correspond to the Nobilta from Hosokawa Micron B.V. or the AMS series from Hosokawa Alpine

Process chamber volume	approx. 220 ml
Rotor drive	630 W
Rotor diameter	40 mm
Speed	max. 8,000 rpm

Process chamber volume	approx. 190 ml
Rotor drive	630 W
Rotor diameter	40 mm
Speed	max. 7,300 rpm

The powder mixture is completely centrifuged by the rotor and moves as a circulating ring layer along the inner wall of the mixer housing.
Stresses such as pressure, shear, impact and rebound are initiated within the compacted component fill in this ring layer.
On contact with the following rotor element, the direction of action of the transmitted pulse changes. This creates a complex, three-dimensional material circulation, which causes intensive, repeated pressure, impact, bounce and shear stress as well as intensive mixing of the material.
The high energy input into the mix compared to conventional mixing systems causes particle fusion, coating, agglomeration and particle rounding in addition to the basic operations such as macro and micro mixing.

The powder mixture is forced into the gap between the rotating rotor and the stationary stator, whereby the stress mechanisms of pressure and shear occur.
The formed edge layer is then separated from the inner surface of the rotor by a scraper and leaves the rotor through the side openings.
In the outer area, the blades attached to the rotor cause a return transport into the processing area.
This results in a permanent circulation of the material in the machine, which leads to the most homogeneous loading of the particle mixture possible.

Homogeneous mixture of dry powders

High-performance batch mixer for dry powders
Inclined blade mixer in vertical conical design
Process chamber can be cooled by external unit
Shaft seal with flushed shaft seal ring
Measuring devices for product temperature, rotor speed, motor power
Parts in contact with the product are made of stainless steel
Batch mode
Based on the Cyclomix from Hosokawa Micron B.V.

Useful volume	20-100 ml
Speed	max. 6,000 rpm
Mixer drive	630 W

The rotating mixing tool is arranged in a conical mixing container.
The special geometry of the mixing tool and the high shear rate ensure intensive, homogeneous and rapid mixing of the powder components.
The components to be mixed are filled into the mixing container and the machine is then closed.
After the mixing process, the container is removed from the machine and the finished mixture is emptied.
The mixing quality is set via the rotor speed, the mixing time and the filling quantity.

1 Mixing tool 2 Mixing tool drive

Do you want to run the individual processes without a platform?

Operation without a platform is possible – processes are fully functional even without a central platform
The latest version of Picoline ensures simple and reliable implementation
Targeted, task-specific solutions can be used for individual processes
Manual process control for maximum flexibility
Cost-effective entry into the world of microprocesses

Highly accurate control
Archiving of process data in the platform
Automatic process control
Dosing and vacuum cleaner are controlled automatically
Cost-effective solution for a power-free version using only compressed air, without dosing
Reduced space requirements
Manual control via hand valve
No data recording

Centralized automatic control of the process
Data recording
Cost-effective solution
Manual control
Low space requirements

Centralized automatic control of the process
Data recording
Cost-effective solution
Manual control
Low space requirements

For optimum protection of plant operators from the processed product, we also offer the Picoline integrated into an isolator
This allows all processes to be operated under a protective atmosphere (< 1% O2 ) and OEL values of up to 50 ng/m³ to be achievedn

Expand your Picoline to suit your application

Various peripheral devices are available for your Picoline. Which accessories you choose depends on the respective application:

Processing of dry powders or flowable suspensions
Operation mode: with compressed air or inert gas, batch or continuous, design variants: Wear-protected (ceramic and coating), containment solution

The PMD screw feeder is suitable for precise, continuous product feeding
Four different screw flights for flexible application options
A wear-protected version with ceramic coating is available

The PDR pharmaceutical dosing tube ensures gentle product conveying by means of vibration
The dust-tight design guarantees very easy cleaning

The cyclone is suitable for separating the product before the filter
Guarantees easier product extraction
Quick to clean

Flexible, needs-based standard filter equipment
Optionally also available with filter hoses or filter cartridges
On request with Safecoat coating as wear protection for highly abrasive products

The Hepa filter is recommended for processing toxic and other critical materials to protect employees and the environment (filter class H13)

The vacuum cleaner provides the necessary negative pressure in the grinding and classifying processes
It is started and stopped by the Picoline

The PSD small-volume feed metering unit ensures continuous product feeding for maximum process stability
Six different reversible dosing discs are available

The KF cold screw conveyor is suitable for the use of liquid nitrogen in cryogenic grinding processes
Also suitable for very sensitive or difficult-to-grind products

The temperature control unit cools or heats the Picobond and Picomix modules within a temperature range of 5 – 70 °C

Collection container with thread and lid, available in various sizes

You can also rent this machine!

More about this you will find on the page rental machines.

Alpine Rentals

Picoline

A laboratory system customised to your specific requirements

Function modules

Picosplit ultra-fine classifier

Technical specifications

Picozirk classifier mill

Technical specifications

Picoplex impact mill

Technical specifications

Picocrush hammer mill

Technical specifications

Picocross counter-rotating pin mill

Technical specifications

Picojet fluidised bed opposed jet mill

Technical specifications

Piconizer spiral jet mill

Technical specifications

Picobond high-energy mixer

Technical specifications Picobond NOB

Technical specifications Picobond AMS

Picomix batch mixer

Technical specifications

Stand-Alone Solutions

Containment

System accessories

You can also rent this machine!

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