Particle Size Testing

Median particle size passes QC while wafers still scratch. Here is why a ppm-level population of 1 to 10 micron agglomerates in CMP slurry drives scratch defects, and which measurements actually catch it.

LFP cathode powder quality is built in stages, not inspected at the end. This article follows the precursor-to-powder route and shows why particle size distribution and tap density are the measurements that actually tell you whether the synthesis worked.

Laser diffraction calculates particle size from measured scattering using an optical model [...]

Milling can reduce powder-bed permeability even when the material meets its [...]

The classical cyclone cut size model assumes discrete, non-agglomerating particles. Cohesive or moisture-sensitive fines can travel through a cyclone as agglomerates instead, which changes what a PSD result actually tells you about classifier performance.

Jet milling micronization reduces particle size through particle-particle impact controlled by classifier wheel speed and feed rate. Pushing the cut point lower can raise amorphous surface content and hygroscopicity in ways a passing PSD result will not reveal. This guide covers the mechanism and the tests that actually diagnose a changed lot.

Cold spray coatings form only when particles clear a critical impact velocity, a threshold set by material properties, particle size and morphology, and native oxide condition. This article looks at what powder-side QC can flag before a spray trial, and where it stops short of predicting deposition efficiency.

Pairing laser diffraction with dynamic image analysis adds per-particle shape descriptors, aspect ratio, circularity, convexity, that help explain an anomalous D50 or D90 and show where the combined result still cannot replace a dedicated particle morphology study.

As aerospace metal additive manufacturing capacity expands, more reused powder is going back into qualified builds. The virgin-to-reused blend ratio decision depends on PSD shift, satellite formation, and morphology drift, and cannot be settled by a single powder check disconnected from the part's stress state.

Talc's expected EU restriction is forcing cosmetic formulators toward mica, kaolin, silica, and starch. None of them reproduce talc's platelet slip, oil absorption, and low dustiness at the same time, and each substitution changes flow and compaction behavior in pressed powder products differently.

Process analytical technology combined with machine learning is changing residual moisture control and yield prediction in pharmaceutical and food spray drying. The gains are real but bounded, and the off-line test panel has not been replaced.

Sintered contacts, additive manufactured heat exchangers, EV motor components, and conductive pastes each require a different copper powder. This article explains why morphology, particle size distribution, oxygen content, and packing density are engineering variables, and how to specify them correctly for electrification applications.