Malvern Insitec particle size analyzers support Toshiba toner production

The latest information from the Toshiba plant in Dieppe details the company’s experience with Malvern’s Insitec analyzers and highlights the value of on-line particle size measurement in toner production. The Insitec system from Malvern Instruments is a fully automated on-line laser diffraction-based analyzer. Toshiba’s adoption of this on-line technology has delivered a throughput increase of 1%, a reduction in over-grinding, steadier mill operation and a significant decrease in the amount of operator time dedicated to routine analysis. Two Insitec systems operate at Toshiba Dieppe and a third is planned.

The trend within the toner industry is towards products with a smaller particle size. This is driving the need for increasingly tight control of the industry’s energy-intensive milling processes. It is also making conventional off-line analytical techniques that involve sample dispersion, such as the Coulter counter, more time-consuming.

The Insitec is a well-established robust particle sizing solution for both wet and dry processes. At its heart lies powerful laser diffraction technology developed and refined by Malvern Instruments over the last 30 years. Sampling and dispersion form an integral part of the Insitec package, which provides a reliable, proven industrially relevant option for sectors as diverse as powder coatings manufacture and cement production.