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There are two sizes of grinding vessels: small and large. Each size has different components and requires a different setup inside the Shatterbox. The small vessel holds between 5-20 mLs of material and has three components: a container, puck , and lid (Figure 16).
Figure 16. Small vessel components. A. Container B. Puck. C. LidFigure 16. Shatterbox. A. Power switch. B. Cover. C. Control panelLid
The large grinding vessel holds between 20 – 60mLs of material and has five components: a container, puck, inner ring, O-Ring , and lid (Figure 17).
Figure 17. Large Vessel components. A. Container B. Inner Ring C. Puck D. O-Ring E. Lid
The small vessels have a small indent in the bottom of the container and they will sit in the shatterbox resting on either a three-pinned plate (Figure 18) or a one-pinned plate (Figure 19).
Figure 18. Three-pinned rack plate to hold three small vessels in Shatterbox
Figure 19. Single-pinned rack plate to hold one small vessel in Shatterbox
The three-pinned plate will hold three vessels while the one-pinned plate will only hold one. If two samples need to be crushed select the three-pinned plate. The large vessel will sit directly in shatterbox without an additional plate below it.
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Transfer the sample pieces into the grinding vessel. Pour sample pieces between the puck and the wall of the vessel (Figure 20). There can't be any material on top of the puck or inside the sealing ring; otherwise the vessel will not seal properly and the sample can spill inside the Shatterboxshatterbox. If any pieces are on top of the puck or ring, use gloves, tongs, or a KimWipe to move the sample into the vessel. Put on the lid and start assembling the shatterbox.
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Figure 21. The inside of the Shatterbox. A. The lever arm B. The clamp arm C. The inner capsule
Depending 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. It is important to maintain balance within the machine to prevent damage.
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Figure 22. Inside the Shatterbox with the bottom three-pinned rack plate resting inside the inner capsule.
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