Request a Qoute
    $0.00 0

    Shopping Cart

    0
    No products in the cart.
    $0.00 0

    Shopping Cart

    0
    No products in the cart.
      1. Home
      2. flour laboratory

      Tag: flour laboratory

      How to Extend the Life of Your Laboratory Equipment

      admin
      March 4, 2026

      Laboratory instruments are a significant capital investment — whether purchased new or as verified pre-owned units. With proper maintenance, leading instruments from manufacturers such as Perten, Bastak, Chopin, and Carbolite can provide accurate, reliable service for 15–20 years or more. Neglect, by contrast, accelerates wear and leads to costly breakdowns at the worst possible moments. Follow the Manufacturer’s Maintenance Schedule Every instrument comes with a recommended maintenance schedule covering cleaning intervals, lubrication points, consumable replacement, and periodic calibration. These schedules are not suggestions — they are the result of engineering analysis of failure modes. Document every maintenance action in a log book alongside the date, operator, and any observations. Control the Laboratory Environment Temperature and humidity fluctuations are silent destroyers of precision laboratory equipment. Electronic components, optical systems, and mechanical bearings all degrade faster under variable environmental conditions. Aim to maintain your laboratory at a constant 20°C ± 2°C and relative humidity between 50% and 60%. This is especially important for balances, NIR instruments, and polarimeters. Use the Right Consumables The temptation to substitute cheaper generic consumables for manufacturer-specified parts is understandable but frequently costly. For Falling Number instruments, for example, off-specification viscometer tubes alter the fluid dynamics of the test and produce systematically biased results — invalidating all data generated until the error is identified. Always use manufacturer-approved consumables or verified equivalents. Train Your Operators The majority of instrument damage in flour laboratories is caused not by mechanical failure but by operator error. Overloading balances, using incorrect cleaning solvents on optical surfaces, failing to allow warm-up time, and mishandling glassware are all preventable causes of instrument damage. Invest in thorough initial training and refresher sessions when procedures or personnel change. Address Issues Promptly An unusual reading, an unfamiliar noise, or a slower-than-normal response are all early warning signs that something is developing. Addressing these signals promptly — by consulting the service manual, contacting the manufacturer, or engaging a specialist — almost always results in a simpler and cheaper repair than waiting until the instrument fails completely.

      Read More

      Why Sample Preparation Is the Most Overlooked Step in Grain Analysis

      admin
      March 4, 2026

      Laboratories invest heavily in state-of-the-art analysers — and rightly so. But the quality of any analytical result is fundamentally limited by the quality of the sample presented to that analyser. In grain and flour quality control, sample preparation is the most underinvested and underappreciated part of the testing process. The Milling Step: Why It Matters Most flour laboratory tests — Falling Number, Gluten Index, Alveograph, Farinograph — are performed on flour milled from whole wheat. The laboratory mill used for this purpose has a direct influence on results. Particle size distribution, damaged starch levels, and even temperature during milling all affect the performance of the resulting flour in subsequent tests. Standard laboratory mills for grain analysis include the Brabender Quadrumat Junior, the Bühler MLU-202, and the Perten LM 3100. Each produces a slightly different flour fraction. Comparing results between laboratories using different mills requires careful harmonisation. Dividing the Sample Representatively Before milling, a bulk grain sample must be reduced to a laboratory sub-sample without introducing bias. Hand scooping from the top of a bag is not acceptable — it will almost always over-represent lighter, lower-quality grain that has risen to the surface. A rotary sample divider or riffle box divides the sample randomly and representatively, regardless of grain heterogeneity. Conditioning Before Milling Tempering grain to a standard moisture level before milling is critical for reproducible flour yield and particle size. Most standard methods specify tempering to 15.5% moisture for one hour before milling. Skipping this step, or rushing it, introduces both between-run and between-laboratory variability that cannot be corrected downstream. Cleaning and Cross-Contamination Laboratory mills must be thoroughly cleaned between samples. Residual flour from a high-protein wheat sample will inflate the protein reading of the next soft wheat sample run through the same mill. Clean the mill with a small cleaning sample (which is discarded) between each production sample. Fuhler Labor offers pre-owned laboratory mills and sample preparation equipment from leading manufacturers, all verified to be in working order prior to listing.

      Read More

      Buying Second-Hand Lab Equipment: What to Check Before You Purchase

      admin
      March 4, 2026

      The market for pre-owned laboratory instruments has grown substantially in recent years, driven by tighter R&D budgets, the growing availability of certified refurbished equipment, and the simple fact that many high-quality analysers last for decades with proper maintenance. But not all second-hand equipment is equal — and knowing what to look for can be the difference between a smart investment and an expensive headache. 1. Verify the Calibration Status Before anything else, ask for the instrument’s calibration records. A well-maintained lab instrument should have documented calibration intervals. For grain analysers such as NIR units or Falling Number machines, recent calibration against certified reference materials is essential. If records are unavailable, budget for recalibration costs before committing. 2. Inspect Physical Condition and Wear Points Look carefully at the specific wear points for each instrument type. On a Falling Number unit, check the viscometer tube and plunger for scratches or corrosion. On an alveograph, examine the kneading bowl and the inflation system. On moisture meters, inspect the sample chamber for contamination or residue build-up. Surface cosmetic issues rarely affect performance; mechanical wear does. 3. Request a Test Run with a Reference Sample Any reputable seller should allow you to run a certified reference sample on the instrument before purchase. Compare the result against the known value. For Falling Number analysers, a discrepancy of more than ±10 seconds from the reference should prompt further investigation. 4. Check for Spare Parts Availability Older models of some brands have discontinued spare parts. Before buying, confirm that consumables and replacement parts — such as viscometer tubes, thermal cups, or sensor modules — are still available. Fuhler Labor maintains a network of parts suppliers for brands including Perten, Bastak, Chopin, and Carbolite. 5. Ask About the Equipment’s History Find out how intensively the instrument was used. A unit from a research laboratory running 20 samples per week is very different from one from a production mill running 200 samples per day. Usage intensity directly correlates with mechanical wear. At Fuhler Labor, every instrument listed on our platform is physically inspected and tested before listing. We believe transparency is the foundation of trust in the pre-owned equipment market.

      Read More
      Select the fields to be shown. Others will be hidden. Drag and drop to rearrange the order.
      • Image
      • SKU
      • Rating
      • Price
      • Stock
      • Availability
      • Add to cart
      • Description
      • Content
      • Weight
      • Dimensions
      • Additional information
      Click outside to hide the comparison bar
      Compare