SUBJECT

Technical Brief

Technical Briefs provide concise, practical explanations of focused powder and particle technology questions. Each brief addresses a specific mechanism, measurement issue, processing challenge, or interpretation problem, giving engineers, researchers, and QA/QC professionals a clear technical takeaway without the depth of a full feature article.

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  • Comparison of loosely and densely packed powder beds in Washburn capillary-rise tubes, showing differences in pore geometry.
    3 November 2026

    Why Does Powder Packing Change Measured Contact Angle?

    Powder packing can change a Washburn-derived contact angle even when particle surface [...]

  • Particle image analysis showing different segmentation outlines for the same powder particle
    2 November 2026

    Why Do Circularity Results Differ for the Same Powder?

    Different circularity results do not necessarily indicate different particle shapes. Thresholding, perimeter [...]

  • Side-by-side cross-section of tablet ejection tooling showing lower and higher ejection forces, opposing die-wall friction, and localized tablet-edge chipping.
    30 October 2026

    Why Can Tablet Ejection Force Rise Without a Loss of Hardness?

    A tablet can meet its hardness specification while requiring more force to [...]

  • Laboratory comparison of loss on drying and Karl Fischer titration, showing total volatile mass loss versus selective water determination in a powder sample.
    29 October 2026

    Why Can Loss on Drying Read Higher Than Karl Fischer?

    Loss on drying measures mass lost under specified conditions; Karl Fischer (KF) [...]

  • Cutaway of a screw feeder showing granule attrition near the hopper interface and screw-flight clearance, with more fines toward the outlet.
    28 October 2026

    Can a Screw Feeder Generate Fines Without Milling?

    Yes. A screw feeder can generate fines with no milling step anywhere [...]

  • Granular blend flowing through an inclined chute, with fine particles concentrating near the base and larger particles migrating toward the free surface.
    27 October 2026

    Why Can a Uniform Blend Segregate in a Chute?

    A uniform blend can develop a particle-size gradient while flowing through a [...]

  • Illustrative Dv10 versus obscuration plot showing high variability at low concentration, a stable measurement window, and decreasing apparent Dv10 at high obscuration.
    26 October 2026

    Why Can Higher Obscuration Create False Fines?

    A finer PSD at higher obscuration does not automatically indicate better dispersion [...]

  • Side-by-side XRF analysis of pressed powder pellets with magnified views comparing coarse and fine mineral grains.
    23 October 2026

    Why Can XRF Results Change With Particle Size?

    A reported XRF concentration depends on the prepared specimen as well as its [...]

  • BET surface area analysis showing a powder degassing station and nitrogen versus krypton adsorption on a magnesium stearate surface.
    22 October 2026

    Why Do BET Results Change With Degassing and Adsorptive Gas?

    A BET surface area reflects how the sample was prepared and which adsorptive [...]

  • Side-by-side NIR moisture measurement of coarse and fine powders, illustrating how particle size changes diffuse light scattering.
    21 October 2026

    Why Does an NIR Moisture Reading Shift When Particle Size Changes?

    NIR moisture predictions depend on both water absorption and light scattering. Changing [...]

  • Comparison of untreated and silica-treated powder discharge, showing increased airborne dust and magnified silica particle detachment.
    20 October 2026

    Why Can Anti-Caking Agents Increase Dustiness?

    An additive that improves powder flow or caking resistance can also increase [...]

  • Comparison of funnel and scoop filling methods showing different powder bed heights and particle packing arrangements in identical measuring cylinders.
    19 October 2026

    Why Does Pouring Method Change Bulk Density?

    Loose bulk density depends on how powder enters the measuring container. Funnel [...]