University of Amsterdam (UvA) automates powder sieving for 3D printing

The Russell AMPro®Lab Sieve Station increases university productivity by more than 80%.

The University of Amsterdam (UvA) consistently ranks among the world’s top universities, renowned for its excellence in international science. The UvA’s Faculty of Science benefits from the support of a dedicated Technology Centre, staffed by 20 research support engineers who assist researchers in overcoming complex technical challenges.

The Technology Centre utilizes additive manufacturing to meet the demands of research projects requiring custom equipment not available commercially. With a small team of engineers supporting multiple projects, the Centre is aimed to ensure  engineers focus their time on tasks where they could provide the most value.

One area identified for efficiency improvement was the labor-intensive task of powder sieving. Engineers had to manually sieve each batch, a process that took 90 minutes for 10 kilograms of powder to be sieved. This lengthy procedure prevented engineers from attending to other important activities.

Following a successful trial of the Russell AMPro®Lab Sieve Station, the support engineers recognized its significant impact on improving powder sieving efficiency and decided to purchase the machine. This small batch powder reclaim unit features a non-vibratory sieve with a feed control system, enabling the decanting of small bottles of reclaim powder while sieving and removing oversize contamination. 

Engineers have reclaimed valuable time previously spent manually sieving powder, with a full batch now requiring only about 10 minutes of their attention instead of 90. Additionally, the unit enables safe sieving of explosive powders by incorporating an inert gas purging system and a sensor to monitor oxygen levels before and during the sieving process, thereby eliminating health and safety risks.

About Russell Finex

Founded in 1934, Russell Finex is a specialist global supplier of sieving and filtration equipment. With its head office in the U.K. and subsidiaries in Belgium, the U.S.A., India, Brazil, and China the company supplies to over 140 countries.To speak to an experienced sales engineer to improve your productivity, contact Russell Finex today.

Find out more about Russell Finex on their member profile page here

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