My brother in law recently needed some help with sifting equipment for new projects at work. See, he is the manager of the big factory in town, and his bosses over at corporate were going to start some new projects in the factory that required some help with powdered metal, since they would be dealing with new fabrication processes.
Apparently, powder processing, which utilizes sifting equipment like a sifter machine or particle size distribution services, is an integral part in the fabrication of ceramic pieces with specific microstructural futures. Rather than shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars on sifting equipment for these projects, he went and outsourced them.
I had no idea that you could even do such a thing, but it makes sense since sifting equipment is so popular. There are a number of different modes and varieties of services, like the cryogenic grinding in Massachusetts company that he hired. That apparently freezes materials and then grinds them down using sifting equipment to a smaller particle size. There are also ultrasonic kits to help with any grinding needs,. These are made by most screen manufacturers and employed by many toll powder processors.
It is an even better idea to outsource any sifting equipment needs than buying your own machines (if you can afford it) because you also pay for the experience of the employees, which can be invaluable. They know how to use the machines to get the best quality of product, and the sifting equipment to get out the big chunks that can really mess your fabrication processes up. This was especially pertinent in my the case of my brother in law, since he needed very fine particles, which tended to clump up more than others for a variety of reasons.
These powder processing companies can grind, screen with sifting equipment, and pack dry gypsum and clay mixes to help make products like foundry sand, which can be consistently blended for optimum consistency.
So if you for any reason find yourself needing the help of sifting equipment, it would definitely be worth your while to outsource this labor, and get the needed expertise. It will save you money, and deliver a higher quality of product than what you could do on your own.
If you have any questions about sifting equipment, ask in the comments! If you have any experience working with sifting equipment, too, then please share your story! Links like this: newenglandpowderprocessing.com