HE GRL Users Guide

HELOS | GRADIS/L
Users Guide
GRADIS/L
Installation
and
Operation
© Copyright 2017, Sympatec GmbH, D-38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany | HELOS – Users guide | 1
HELOS | GRADIS/L users guide
Table of contents
1. Installation of the GRADIS/L

2. Installation of the VIBRI
3. Commissioning
4. Sensor control system PAQXOS
5. Optimizing the measurements
6. Keeping the GRADIS & vacuum clean
7. System validation
 Before mounting the GRADIS/L

on the HELOS, pull back the
lever on the underpart of the
GRADIS
 Place the release tool on the
lever to pull back the lever later
 Place the GRADIS/L on the X –
profile in the middle of your
HELOS bench
 Press the button (circled) to
release the snapper.
 Hook in the stand at the top of
the GRADIS and let it click in at
the bottom
» Adjusting the rubber foot at the
bottom might be necessary
 Place the fall shaft in the
GRADIS with the outlet tip
attached
» Don’t forget the grids with the
cotton seal!
» The fall shaft is placed in the
GRADIS with the outlet parallel to
the laser beam
 Connect all necessary

cables to the HELOS bench:
» Dispersion unit connection
cable (Lemosa cable)
» HELOS power cable
» Vacuum power connection
» Computer Ethernet cable
 Connect the Ethernet cable

at the back right side of the
HELOS
 Connect the vacuum at the

back left side of the
GRADIS/L with the flange
 Connect the Lemosa cable in
the 6 – pin socket at the back
of the GRADIS/L
» Careful! Do not bend the pins!
 If necessary, change the

vacuum accessories to fit the
GRADIS/L
2. Installation of the VIBRI
 Place your feeder, the VIBRI,

on the plate at the top of the
GRADIS/L
 If used, place the dust cover
between the VIBRI-chute and
GRADIS/L fall shaft
 Connect the VIBRI to the back
of the GRADIS/L with a
Lemosa cable
3. Commissioning
 Make sure that the vacuum

is switched on
 If everything is set up
according to chapters 1 & 2,
turn the key on the front
left side of the HELOS to
position “2”
 Turn on the computer and
log on to your account
3. Commissioning
 Key positions and lights

» If the key is at position “on” but one light is blinking, the sensor is
malfunctioning
Off Stand-by Booting On
 Start the “PAQXOS Laser Diffraction” program on the

computer
„Hybrid“ configuration
 Unless turned off, the splash screen will open automatically

» If turned off, it can also be found under “tools” at the top of the screen
 Click on “Perform step-by-step measurement” to start the

wizard
 Follow the instructions given on the left side and enter the
settings and information for the measurement as asked
 Alternate: Use “settings” on the left

side of the screen to set up the
measurement
 The SOP-function allows the user to

create a complete settings-template
for future measurements
 The symbol-button shows a drop-
down menu with previously saved
conditions
 The arrow opens a drop-down menu
to review the settings
 The three dots open a window in
which settings can be changed
 Product settings Load & save settings
» Name: Enter the name of the product.

This name will later show up on the
reports and can’t be modified afterwards!
» Density: Enter if known, otherwise set it
to 1 g/cm³
» Heywood shape factor: Enter if known,
otherwise 1
» NOTE: Density and Heywood Factor won’t
change the particle size distribution
result!
» Product-specific comment: If wished
» Click “OK” to resume settings
 Measuring Range Range Particle sizes/µm
» Choose the measuring range R1 0.1/0.18 – 35

from the drop-down menu
R2 0.25/0.45 – 87.5
 How to choose the right
range R3 0.5/0.9 – 175
» GRADIS/L works best for large R4 0.5/1.8 – 350

particles that can be
dispersed easily R5 0.5/4.5 – 875
» Use R6, R7 or R8 for the R6 0.5/9.0 – 1,750

GRADIS
R7 0.5/18.0 – 3,500
R8 0.5/45.0 – 8,750
 Disperser settings
» Choose GRADIS from the drop-
down menu
» Open settings window
» Select drop height 50 cm
» Select outlet width
» Feeder type: Select VIBRI
» Choose VIBRI settings
» Choose extraction settings
» Click “OK” to resume settings
 VIBRI settings
» Feed rate: Speed of product transportation on the chute, 0 – 100 %
» Gap width: distance between funnel and chute during
measurement, 0.5 – 15 mm
» Funnel rotation: Rotational speed of the funnel (only for VIBRIs
with rotating funnel!), 0 – 100 %
» Cleaning duration: Time for VIBRI cleaning after measurement
(automatically sets feed rate at 100 %)
 Extraction types
» Extraction without cleaning: starts air flow prior to the
measurement without starting vacuum cleaning
» Extraction with cleaning #1 & #2: settings for special, non-Sympatec
supplied vacuum cleaners with additional cleaning features
 Trigger settings
» Time base: sensitivity of start
trigger; standard: 100 ms
» Reference measurement
duration: runs background
measurement to avoid
external influences on actual
measurement; standard: 10 s
 Trigger settings
» For dry measurements set start to 0 s after either optical
concentration or a channel above certain percentage; standard:
above 1 %
» Select “always valid”
» Stops after optical concentration or the chosen channel is below
certain percentage for the set period of time; standard: 5 s & 1 %
» Check box “Focus prior to first measurement” and select “Single
measurement” for series mode
 Evaluation settings
» Calculation mode: FREE or MIEE (is
optional)
» MIEE parameter: enter complex
refractive index of the product.
» Forced stability: number of
detector elements ignored in
calculation (-1: increased sensitivity
for coarse particles); standard: 0
» REMO: allows conversion to other
particle measuring methods, e.g.
sieving
 User parameters and

comments
» The “star”-button creates a
new parameter
» The X-button deletes the
selected parameter, the
“circled X”-button deletes all
» Move a parameter up or
down the list with the arrows
» Select type of parameter from
the drop-down menu
 Signal test
» Turn on the laser with the first button
» Auto-focus with the “target”-button
» Check ring signals, if intensity is above 2
% after ring 5, take out lens and clean
» If one detector element has too high
signal, the intensity bar appears yellow
and a measurement can’t be performed
» Signal sequence shows intensity of
selected ring over time
 Starting a reference measurement

» To start the measurement, click on white “play”-button at the top of
the screen or press F2
 Starting a normal measurement
» Enter the sample into the funnel of the VIBRI and click the red
“play”-button or press F3
 Clicking the “combined play”-button or pressing F10 starts
the reference measurement followed directly by the normal
measurement
» If the buttons are grayed out, the sensor might not be connected.
Connect by clicking the “ “ button at the top of the screen
 After the measurement is completed it will automatically be

evaluated and be displayed in all output windows
 To reload old measurements, simply drag and drop the
selected measurements into the desired output window or
double-click on a selected measurement to load it into all
windows
 To load multiple measurements into all output windows,
highlight them and right-click on them, select “output to all
result windows“
 The right measuring range can be determined by reviewing

the particle size distribution (PSD)
» At least one size class should be below 10-15 %
» 3 or more classes should be at 100 %
» If there isn’t a single range that fits both criteria, a range
combination (optional) can be used
 The optical concentration should be between 5-15 % and
can be regulated through the VIBRI settings (feed rate and
gap width) and/or sample volume
 For measuring coarse particles, a higher amount of sample

is needed, finer particles can need as little as a tip of a
spatula
 To determine the optimum amount of sample, perform
consecutive measurements and check the repeatability. If it
is poor, increase the amount of sample.
 Avoiding cross-contamination is an important part of
measuring different samples, as it can influence the particle
size distribution
 The GRADIS should be cleaned before starting measuring a
new lot or a different material
» Turn on the vacuum manually and knock against the drop chute
with a rubber mallet
» If necessary, remove the drop chute from the GRADIS and blow it
out with pressured air
» Wipe off VIBRI-chute and funnel with a paper towel
 To avoid a decrease in vacuuming strength, change bags

and filters of the vacuum regularly
 The frequency of cleaning the vacuum depends on usage
 Do not wait for the bag to fill up entirely, as the pores of the
bags and especially the HEPA filter clog easily
 When using a Nilfisk with cyclone, empty it when its about
1/3 full, the HEPA filter on top should be changed every 6
months
7. System validation
 Sympatec offers proprietary reference materials in a variety

of sizes for system validation. Our approach to validation
challenges both the disperser and the laser, by performing a
dynamic test on the entire VIBRI/GRADIS/HELOS system.
Three vials of suitable reference material are required to
make three measurements, with the average of the three
measurements compared to established values for x10,
x16, x50, x84, and x90. If any of the 5 values do not fall
within the guidelines, the instrument is out of calibration
and may need the attention of an authorized Sympatec
engineer.
Example of a measurement
 The sample to be measured is

ground rocks
1. Establishing the sample in the
database:
1. Click on the circled button to open the
settings window
2. Enter the product name
3. Enter product density or 1
4. Enter shape factor or 1
5. Click OK to resume settings and close
window
2. Visible coarse particles, around

1 mm in diameter
1. Click on this button:
2. Select R6
3. Open the drop-down menu by
clicking on the upside-down
triangle on the right side and
click on GRADIS
4. Click on circled button
1. Click on triangle and select 50 cm
2. Click on triangle and set to 4 mm
3. Click on the upside-down triangle
and click on VIBRI
4. Click on the number and type in 60
5. Click on the number and type in 5.0
6. Leave funnel rotation at 0 %
7. Use triangles to set to 5 s
8. Do not check this box:
9. Click on triangle and select
Extraction without cleaning
10. Click on triangles to set to 5 s
11. Click OK to resume settings and

close window
4. Click this button

1. Click on number and type in
100.0
2. Click on number and type in 10
3. Leave at 0 s
4. Click on the triangle and select
Opt. conc.
5. Click on triangles to set to 1.0 %
6. Click on number and type in 30
7. Click on the triangle and select
always
8. Click on triangles to set to 5 s
9. Click on triangle and select Opt.
conc.
10. Click on triangles to set to 1.0 %
11. Click on number and set to 60 s
12. Check this box

Single measurement
14. Resume settings and close
window by clicking OK

FREE
2. Click on triangles to set to 0
3. Do not check this box
4. Click OK to resume settings and
close window

1. Click on star-button
2. Type in Identifier
3. Type in Ground
Rocks_000
4. Check this box
5. Click on star-button and
type in Amount of
sample
6. Select Number from
drop-down menu and
type in amount and unit
7. Click OK
7. Place sample in the VIBRI-funnel

8. Turn on signal test by clicking this
button
9. Click this button to auto-focus
10. Check this window to see if signal
is below 2 % after ring 5
1. Click on window and drag over each
ring, look at this number
2. Clean lens carefully if over 2 %
11. Check if all three elements are red
12. Start the measurement by clicking this button at the top of the
screen
13. After the measurement, look at size distribution
1. Check for correct range: points below 10-15 %, min. 3 points at 100%
2. Check opt. conc.: 5-15 %
3. Adjust range and VIBRI if necessary
14. Repeat steps 7-13 for repeatability
1. 3-5 measurements with same settings
2. Standard deviation < 2 %
15. Clean everything when done

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HELOS | GRADIS/L

1. Installation of the GRADIS/L

 Before mounting the GRADIS/L

 Connect all necessary

 Connect the Ethernet cable

 Connect the vacuum at the

 If necessary, change the

 Place your feeder, the VIBRI,

 Make sure that the vacuum

 Key positions and lights

 Start the “PAQXOS Laser Diffraction” program on the

 Unless turned off, the splash screen will open automatically

 Click on “Perform step-by-step measurement” to start the

 Alternate: Use “settings” on the left

 The SOP-function allows the user to

» Name: Enter the name of the product.

 Measuring Range Range Particle sizes/µm

» Choose the measuring range R1 0.1/0.18 – 35

» GRADIS/L works best for large R4 0.5/1.8 – 350

» Use R6, R7 or R8 for the R6 0.5/9.0 – 1,750

 User parameters and

 Starting a reference measurement

 After the measurement is completed it will automatically be

 The right measuring range can be determined by reviewing

 For measuring coarse particles, a higher amount of sample

 To avoid a decrease in vacuuming strength, change bags

 Sympatec offers proprietary reference materials in a variety

 The sample to be measured is

2. Visible coarse particles, around

11. Click OK to resume settings and

4. Click this button

11. Click on number and set to 60 s

12. Check this box

13. Click on triangle and select

5. Click this button

6. Click this button

7. Place sample in the VIBRI-funnel

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