New Cyclosizer

Metcon Laboratories entered into agreement with Weir Warman in 2001 to manufacture the Cyclosizer under license. Weir Warman agreed to maintain a profile for the Cyclosizer overseas and to maintain a presence for the Cyclosizer in their advertising material.

The Warman Cyclosizer is a laboratory precision apparatus for the rapid and accurate determination of particle size distribution within the sub sieve range. Each machine is calibrated individually before it leaves the works and typically separates at around 40, 30, 20, 15 and 11 microns. The Cyclosizer was developed for the mining industry, and a feature of the Cyclosizer separation is that it returns the size fraction for assay of microscopic examination so that information on liberation sizes can be gathered. The operation of the Cyclosizer is robust so that although some operator skill is required, it is less sensitive than some other competing processes that do not produce size fractions for examination.

Particles are separated according to their Stokes equivalent diameter and in this sense differ from say mesh screen sizes, which rely on whether or not a grain will pass a square aperture. Thus when plotting the sizing results there is often a small inflection in the graph associated with the change in sizing principle. When a Cyclosizer sizing is plotted against sizings using other techniques, there is generally a small parallel shift for each technique that is a function of how the technique defines particle size.

Because the Cyclosizer uses the Stokes equivalent diameter, the fractions produced are specific gravity dependant. It is convention to express the sizings as quartz equivalents, but in reality, these sizings need to be corrected for variations in specific gravity. Corrections are calculated as part of the standard operating technique. Although a sizing may use an average specific gravity it is possible for discrete minerals to be classified separately. For instance in the first cyclone that separates at say 40 micron quartz equivalent this will also capture a 14 micron gold grain. Thus heavier minerals report to higher cyclones in the configuration.

Machine life depends on usage and the environment but it is not unusual for the working life to exceed 25 years.

Most offices of Weir Warman will act as agents to procure a Cyclosizer in addition to Sepor Inc in the United States.

Ordering  Details

Any enquiry for a Cyclosizer should include advice of the single-phase power supply rating and the frequency required. The machines are supplied with either a 50 Hz or a 60Hz pump/motor assembly. The machines are supplied ex works in a crate measuring 1600mm long, 1855mm high and 480mm deep, and weighing nearly 400kg.

Please address your enquiry to metconlabs@bigpond.com

To reduce cost and turnaround, customers are advised that freight requirements would be better handled by the purchaser. Lead-time depends on demand but can be up to 12 weeks from order.

Spare  Parts

Metcon Laboratories maintains an extensive spare parts stock and most parts can be supplied ex stock on a quick turnaround. Consumables depend largely on the usage of the machines, but there is generally no call for spares for at least 10 years and then it is only for perishable items like gaskets etc.

Some changes have occurred over the years to parts used, the most significant of which are the change from a two part glass cyclone assembly in the original Cyclosizers to a one part polycarbonate cyclone assembly in the newer machines. These changes have led to new model numbers being produced and after some 40 years of manufacture we are now up to model 13.

The other significant change to the Cyclosizers has been in the pump/motor assembly. In the original machines, a Warman solution pump was supplied. These are now out of manufacture and alternative pumps are supplied. There were also two generations of Warman solution pump used. In the original machines a brass impellor was installed and many of these machines are still functioning well with a periodic change of bearings and seals. For the second generation machines a bakelite impellor was used and after some 15 to 20 years most of these have become redundant as the impellors begin to break up from fatigue. So the story is that if you have an old pump with a brass impellor then it can probably be repaired but if it has a bakelite impellor then it should be replaced.

Second Hand Cyclosizers

Periodically, second-hand Cyclosizers become available and Metcon provides a refurbishment service to replace all damaged or worn parts along with the pump and motor assemblies. The machine alignment is checked and adjusted, and the machines recalibrated. To all intents and purposes the machines are “as good as new” but sell for about half the price of a new machine. Please enquire if you are interested.

If your machine is old and neglected, contact Metcon if you wish to dispose of it OR we would be happy to negotiate for its refurbishment on an as-required basis. In the latter instance it would need to be boxed and shipped to Metcon Laboratories works in Brookvale, Sydney, Australia.

Laboratory  Services

Metcon Laboratories is a commercial metallurgical testing laboratory and maintains full particle size testing services, specializing in particle size analysis. This extends from screen, laser and Cyclosizer sizings to coarse end crushing, grinding and screening operations. Metcon also maintains a comprehensive cyclone testing facility which can handle cyclone separations ranging from a 250mm cyclone to C6 cyclone separations at around 6 to 7µm, more details of which can be found in the Services section of this web site.