New Application and Recent Development of Particle Size Distribution Analyzer with Laser Diffraction
粒子による光の散乱現象を測定原理とするレーザー回折／散乱式粒子径分布測定装置LA-960を，2013年に販売を開始した。この測定方式は，多くの粉粒体を一度に，短時間，非接触，高精度，高再現性で測定できるものである。また，濃厚スラリー，水可溶性粒子，凝集しやすい粒子，微量試料など様々な状態の試料に対応した測定用アクセサリーが用意されている。本装置の原理や構成，及び，アクセサリーの特徴についての解説を行う。また，装置性能については，実際の測定事例を交えて紹介する。更に，新製品として，小型でありながら，実用域で十分な測定範囲と精度を持つレーザー回折／散乱式粒子径分布測定装置LA-350がラインナップしたので合わせて紹介する。
The LA-960 particle size distribution instrument utilizing laser diffraction/scattering was released in 2013. This measurement method can analyze many particles simultaneously in a short time, without contact, with high precision, and with high repeatability. The LA-960 has accessories for several types of samples such as concentrated slurries, i.e. CMP, water soluble powders such as pharmaceuticals, agglomerated powders such as magnetic materials and small volume samples. We would like to discuss the features of the instrument and accessories in detail. We will also provide actual measurement examples to illustrate the instrument performance. Recently, the LA-350 particle size distribution instrument featuring laser diffraction/scattering was also released. We will discuss the features of the instrument which includes reasonable size measurement range and high performance in a very compact product.