One station, a broad jar range
Move from small research samples to a useful sample quantity of up to 220 ml in a 500 ml jar. Compatible small jars can be stacked for two smaller preparations.
COMPACT SINGLE-STATION GRINDING
PM 100.
One station. Many possibilities.
A compact planetary ball mill for standard laboratory grinding, mixing and homogenization, with the flexibility for ultrafine wet grinding and mechanochemical research. One grinding station accepts jars from 12 to 500 ml.
Configuration examples. Jars, lids, adapters and monitoring accessories may be optional.
FEED SIZE*< 10 mm
SUN-WHEEL SPEED100–650 rpm
NOMINAL JAR VOLUME12–500 ml
FINAL FINENESS*< 1 µm
THE MODEL IN FOCUS
Compact single-station high-energy mill.
Controlled high-energy preparation
Set the sun-wheel speed from 100 to 650 rpm with a 1:−2 speed ratio. Programmable intervals and direction reversal help shape the method.
Balanced for the laboratory bench
An adjustable counterweight compensates for different jar masses and centers of gravity. Free-Force Compensation Sockets help reduce force transmission to the bench.
HOW PLANETARY BALL MILLS WORK
One orbit.
Counter-rotating jars.
Grinding jars sit eccentrically on a rotating support disc, or sun wheel. Each jar turns around its own axis in the opposite direction. The combined motion accelerates the balls and creates repeated ball-to-ball and ball-to-wall interactions.
Impact and friction reduce particles, mix components and can supply mechanical energy for solid-state reactions. The balance changes with speed, ball size, loading, jar geometry and whether the method is dry or wet.
The PM 100 sun-wheel range is 100–650 rpm. Its sun-wheel-to-jar speed ratio is 1:−2.
Feed limits, useful sample quantity and achievable fineness depend on the material, jar, ball charge and operating conditions. Nominal jar volume is not the sample filling volume. Sub-100 nm results require a suitable wet-grinding method; maximum batch size and finest result are not simultaneous guarantees.
HANDLING & REPRODUCIBILITY
Balance the jar.
Define the method.
The single-station design uses an adjustable counterweight on an inclined guide rail to balance different jar sizes. Secure jar clamping, the Safety Slider and imbalance monitoring support correct operation. Confirm the jar, ball and sample mass before balancing the setup.
- Safety Slider checks the secure clamping arrangement before starting
- Automatic chamber ventilation and programmable cooling pauses
- Ten stored SOPs, programmable start and remaining-time backup after a power interruption
WET & NANO-SCALE GRINDING
Control dispersion.
Develop the fineness.
Dry grinding can reach analytical fineness below 1 µm for suitable samples. Wet colloidal methods can extend below 0.1 µm when the material, ball charge and dispersion support it.
Alumina: from micrometers
toward nanometers.
In a reported alumina trial at 650 rpm, wet grinding in water with 1 mm balls produced a median particle size (x50) of about 200 nm after one hour and 100 nm after four hours. A second method used 1 mm balls for one hour followed by 0.1 mm balls for three hours, reaching a reported x50 of 76 nm.
Small particles can agglomerate as their surface interactions become more important. A suitable liquid or dispersant helps keep particles separated, while many small balls increase frictional contacts.
Review process temperature and cooling pauses alongside the size distribution. The example result is specific to its material and method.
View the staged alumina grinding example
MECHANOCHEMISTRY & SOLID-STATE RESEARCH
Mechanical alloying.
Mechanosynthesis. Co-crystal screening.
Planetary milling supplies impact and friction for research that goes beyond particle-size reduction. Choose the energy input, jar and atmosphere around the chemistry.
PM 100: develop the reaction method
A 1:−2 speed ratio supports many mechanical-alloying and mechanosynthesis investigations. Document loading, jar and ball material, speed, milling time and cooling pauses to compare experiments meaningfully.
Explore solid-state synthesis, catalyst or composite preparation, and reactions with reduced bulk solvent during the milling stage. Pharmaceutical research applications include investigating active pharmaceutical ingredient synthesis and solid-form development. The appropriate method depends on the chemistry; evaluate the reaction product and the full process rather than inferring success from a milling program alone.
Compare impact-driven MM 400 research methodsCo-crystal and co-former screening
Small-vial adapters allow parallel screening with limited research quantities. The outer ring of a compatible adapter accepts up to 16 vials. The actual sample count depends on the compatible adapter, ring position, station count and loading configuration.
The eight inner-ring positions provide a different energy input for comparative research. Keep vessel format, ball charge, liquid addition and position in the method record, and confirm solid-phase formation analytically.
Explore a co-crystallization application examplePM 100 application research: PFAS degradation
A reported laboratory study investigated mechanochemical degradation of perfluorosulfonic acids, a PFAS subclass, using a PM 100 with quartz sand. The milling stage used no solvent or additional chemical reagent and studied runs up to 720 minutes.
The study reported 99.99% reduction in measured total PFSA content after 720 minutes. The proposed mechanism involves reactive silica surfaces and fluorine capture in silicon–fluorine bonds. This is an application-specific research result; it does not establish treatment performance for every PFAS compound or waste stream.
Environmental applications need analytical confirmation of the starting compounds, transformation products and fluorine balance.
Mechanochemical clay activation for cement research
Mechanical activation changes clay particle size and structure, including amorphization, to investigate reactivity as a supplementary cementitious material. PM 100 and PM 300 systems provide laboratory routes for studying locally available clays and comparing mechanical with thermal activation.
Optional GrindControl measurements can track temperature and pressure while milling. Pressure changes may reveal gas evolution, for example from carbonate-containing material, and help interpret differences between clay compositions.
Relate those process measurements to mineralogy and downstream reactivity tests. Milling data alone do not establish cement replacement performance.
Explore PM 300 research capabilityJARS, BALLS & PROCESS OPTIONS
Build the method
around the grinding tools.
The jar, ball charge and closure determine what the sample experiences. Confirm each accessory against the model, jar size and application.
EasyFit grinding jars
The PM 100 accepts 12, 25, 50, 80, 125, 250 and 500 ml nominal jar sizes. Advanced Anti-Twist geometry on applicable 50–500 ml jars helps resist twisting and simplifies positioning.
Tool materials
Options include hardened stainless steel, tungsten carbide, agate, sintered aluminum oxide and zirconium oxide. Additional steel or silicon-nitride formats depend on model and availability. Select for sample hardness, chemistry and acceptable wear contribution.
Lids, seals & wet-grinding closures
O-ring seals support pressure-tight, dust-resistant jar closure. Protective jackets are used on selected brittle-material jars. Compatible special closure devices are recommended for wet or colloidal grinding.
Aeration lids
Compatible aeration lids allow a specified gas atmosphere inside the jar, such as nitrogen or argon. Interchangeable material inlays can match the contact surface to suitable jar materials.
GrindControl
The optional measurement system records temperature and pressure inside a compatible jar. Use these data to study warming, gas evolution and reaction behavior. Monitoring does not actively cool the sample.
Vial adapters for research
A compatible adapter offers an outer ring with 16 positions and an inner ring with eight positions for different energy conditions. Disposable 1.5 ml GC vials support small-sample screening; compatible 20 ml formats are also listed in selected models’ technical data.
Jar volume, useful sample and stacking are different.
PM 100: nominal jars 12–500 ml; useful sample quantity up to 1 × 220 ml. Compatible stacking: 12, 25, 50 and 80 ml jars; two compatible jars per station.
LOAD THE JAR WITH PURPOSE
Sample. Balls. Free movement.
Jar size and ball charge should be selected together. Dry impact grinding and wet ultrafine grinding use different filling strategies.
Start with the sample quantity.
For conventional dry preparation, a useful starting rule is that grinding balls should be at least three times the largest feed dimension. The jar-filling chart relates nominal jar volume, sample amount, feed size and ball count.
One dry-grinding example uses a 500 ml jar for 200 ml of sample with pieces up to 7 mm, and 25 balls of at least 20 mm diameter. This is a starting example to evaluate, not a fixed charge for every material.
Wet ultrafine methods commonly use many smaller balls to increase frictional contacts. A wet-grinding starting point is approximately 60% jar filling with small balls; liquid volume, viscosity, dispersion and sample loading must be matched to the method.
Open the jar-filling chartMATERIALS & APPLICATIONS
From analytical samples
to advanced materials.
- Battery materials
- Ceramics & metal oxides
- Minerals & geological analysis
- Mechanical alloying
- Pharmaceutical research
- Pigments & coatings
- Polymers & composites
- Environmental samples
TECHNICAL DATA
PM 100 at a glance.
| Maximum feed size* | < 10 mm |
|---|---|
| Standard final fineness* | < 1 µm |
| Wet colloidal fineness* | < 0.1 µm with a suitable method |
| Grinding stations | 1 |
| Useful sample quantity* | 1 × 220 ml |
| Nominal jar volume | 12–500 ml |
| Sun-wheel speed | 100–650 rpm |
| Speed ratio | 1 : −2 |
| Acceleration rating | 33.3 g |
| Method storage | 10 SOPs; interval operation and direction reversal |
View complete technical specifications
| Applications | pulverizing, mixing, homogenizing, colloidal milling, mechanical alloying, mechanosynthesis, nano grinding, co-crystal screening |
|---|---|
| Feed material | soft, hard, brittle, fibrous – dry or wet |
| Size reduction principle | impact, friction |
| Material feed size* | < 10 mm |
| Final fineness* | < 1 µm, for colloidal grinding < 0.1 µm |
| Batch size / feed quantity* | max. 1 x 220 ml, max. 2 x 20 ml with stacked grinding jars |
| No. of grinding stations | 1 |
| Speed ratio | 1 : -2 |
| Sun wheel speed | 100 – 650 min-1 |
| Effective sun wheel diameter | 141 mm |
| G-force | 33.3 g |
| Type of grinding jars | EasyFit, optional aeration covers, safety closure devices |
| Material of grinding tools | hardened steel, stainless steel, tungsten carbide, agate, sintered aluminum oxide, silicon nitride, zirconium oxide |
| Grinding jar sizes | 12 ml / 25 ml / 50 ml / 80 ml / 125 ml / 250 ml / 500 ml |
| Stackable grinding jars | 12 ml / 25 ml / 50 ml / 80 ml |
| Adapter for single-use glass vials | 24 x 1.5 ml / 7 x 20 ml |
| Setting of grinding time | digital, 00:00:01 to 99:59:59 |
| Interval operation | yes, with direction reversal |
| Interval time | 00:00:01 to 99:59:59 |
| Pause time | 00:00:01 to 99:59:59 |
| Storable SOPs | 10 |
| Interface | RS 232 / RS 485 |
| Drive | 3-phase asynchronous motor with frequency converter |
| Drive power | 750 W |
| Electrical supply data | different voltages |
| Power connection | 1-phase |
| Protection code | IP 30 |
| Power consumption | ~ 1250W (VA) |
| W x H x D closed | 640 x 480 (780) x 420 mm |
| Net weight | ~ 86 kg |
*Feed limits, useful sample quantity and achievable fineness depend on the material, jar, ball charge and operating conditions. Nominal jar volume is not the sample filling volume. Sub-100 nm results require a suitable wet-grinding method; maximum batch size and finest result are not simultaneous guarantees.
YOUR MATERIAL. YOUR NEXT STEP.
Put the process
to the material test.
Tell us what you’re processing and what needs to change. We’ll help define the equipment, accessories and a useful trial.
- Material and starting particle size
- Target fineness and required quantity
- Temperature, purity and cleaning requirements