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The X-Press is a motorized hydraulic press that crushes samples into smaller pieces.
First, clean the X-press with simple green and isopropyl alcohol. Clean the work area and materials with isopropyl alcohol for each sample.
Place a large KimWipe on your working surfaces for your clean materials. Next collect the following supplies that make up the 'crushing unit' of the X-press (Figure 6). Materials are located in the drawer labeled 'X-PRESS SUPPLIES' in the X-Ray Prep Area in the thin section lab.
- Weigh Paper 6" x 6"
- Core liner
- Two delrin discs
- Stainless steel base
- Figure 6: Materials needed for assembly of 'crushing unit'. A. Weigh Paper 6"x6". B. Core Liner C. Two Delrin Discs D. Stainless Steel Base E. Aluminum Die
Figure 6: Materials needed for assembly of ‘crushing unit’. A. Weigh Paper 6”x6”. B. Core Liner C. Two Delrin Discs D. Stainless Steel Base E. Aluminum Die
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Place the crushing unit inside the X-Press in the middle of the metal platform (Figure 14 A). Put in the sliding polycarbonate door down when crushing samples. Tighten the jackscrew (Figure 14 B) until it rests firmly against the aluminum die. Tighten the 'pressure relief handle' with a clockwise turn (Figure 14 C).
Note: The polycarbonate door sits on two interlock switches that enable operation. If the door is not fully closed or pressing down on these switches the machine will not work.
Crush the sample by continuously holding down the toggle switch (Figure 14 D). The motor and pump can be heard and the pressure will rise (Figure 14 E). Once the desired pressure is reached the toggle can be released and the sample will sit under that pressure. Do NOT leave a sample under pressure for any reason. For most samples ~5 tons of pressure is enough force to crack it. If you find the need to go past near 10 tons, try rotating the sample onto another side and apply pressure again.repeat the process again. Taking the pressure up greater than 10 tons can cause the disks and the core liner to shatter. Contaminating the samples and creating a safety hazard.
Safety Note: Always wear safety glasses. Do not stand directly in front of the X-Press while it is operating. Never leave the X-Press unattended while using. Do NOT take the instrument above 10 tons of pressure.
After the sample has cracked remove the crushing unit. To remove the unit, loosen the 'pressure relief handle' by rotating it counter clock wise and press down on the toggle switch. The pressure gauge should read zero and the metal platform will lower down. Do not leave the platform up, always make sure to lower it back down after crushing a sample. When the platform is level with the surface let go of the toggle and start unscrewing the jackscrew. Then open the door and remove the unit. The pieces can be poured into a labeled bottle that will eventually hold the finely ground powder. From here the pieces will then be put into the Shatterbox vessels.
If pieces are still too large then repeat the same setup and crush it again. Look out for and remove any pieces of the Delrin Discs that may have chipped off and gotten into the sample. Leaving pieces of the Delrin Discs in the sample will cause contamination.
Grinding Samples in the Shatterbox
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Depending on vessel size, you will either put in the pinned plate (small vessels) or the large vessel directly. The shatterbox setup will also vary depending on sample number. If you are crushing one sample use the one-pinned plate, whereas for two or three samples use the three-pinned plate (Figure 22). For crushing two samples, two vessels will be full, whereas the third will be empty without a puck or you can add quartz sand to the third container. It is important to maintain balance within the machine to prevent damage.
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