Catalog

The Quick Press is a hand press for making transparent KBr pellets (discs) with diameters of 7mm, 4mm or 2mm.The Quick Press uses the principal of toggle action to apply very high pressure with minimal force. The KBr pellet is formed using only the pressure of a firm handshake applied steadily to the handle.

The E-Z™ Quick Table Top Press operates on the same toggle action principle as our Quick Press. By mounting the press vertically and providing a table top mounting platform, we have made it easier to compress a KBr pellet and easier to open the press and remove the pellet. Vertical mounting enables the use of body weight and shoulder muscles, so the E-Z™ Quick requires minimal strength to operate. When the base is attached to a bench it is easier to open then a hand press, and pushing a small lever ejects the die set. There is a dial indicator to enable reproduction of force settings from pellet to pellet. The press is constructed from Stainless Steel, chrome plated steel and anodized aluminum for long corrosion-free service. The E-Z™ Quick Press uses the same 7mm, 4mm and 2mm die sets that are used in ICL's Quick Press and Port-A-Press™.

ICL’s Port-A-Press™ is the most economical, full-scale, KBr pellet press on the market, and it produces pellets that are as transparent as those made with a 12 ton hydraulic press. It uses a torque wrench to permit the user to apply the same amount of pressure from pellet to pellet thereby facilitating reproducibility of results

The Little-Press™ is an inexpensive means for producing quality KBr pellets. The press body is a type 304 stainless steel nut and the anvils are type 316 stainless steel bolts with optically polished ends. It is available in an evacuable version, although heating the sample matrix and the polished anvils before making a pellet will materially reduce moisture effects. Ten packs of Little-Presses are available. The pellet is formed by threading one anvil about half way into the body and then placing the KBr/sample matrix into the threaded hole in the body so that it covers the face of the anvil. Then the body is either mounted in a vice while the other threaded anvil is turned against the stationary anvil on which the sample has been placed, or two wrenches are used to tighten the bolt style anvils simultaneously. The bolts are then removed and the body is placed into a sample holder which is provided with the kit and the holder is inserted into the 2" x 3" slide mount of the spectrophotometer for analysis. The sample is then washed out of the body with water.

ICL’s new patented E-Z Press™ hydraulic lab presses feature a unique lightweight ergonomic design. All E-Z Press™ models weigh less than 90 pounds due to ICL’s patented unibody construction. The 12 ton E-Z Press™ weighs a mere 51 pounds! The 15 and 20 ton E-Z Press™ will handle a variety of lab applications, including pressing KBr pellets for FTIR spectroscopy and briquetting samples for XRF spectroscopy. Ports in the walls of the press frame allow access for vacuum lines and electrical cords to the area between the platens, which enables use of the press with evacuable dies and heated platens. The 15 and 20 ton E-Z Press™ can also be used for making thin films with ICL’s Precision Thickness Film Maker and Heated Platens. Automated versions are available (see Air-EZ™) which are driven by pneumatic motors powered by your lab’s compressed air supply. The newest additions to the E-Z Press™ line are ICL’s new 1 and 2 ton E-Z Presses™. The 1 and 2 ton units offer sensitivity at low pressure levels in applications where precise control of the load on the sample is required, such as pressing pellets of intrinsic pharmaceutical ingredients for dissolution rate analysis.

The newest additions to the E-Z Press™ line are ICL’s new 1 and 2 ton E-Z Presses™. The 1 and 2 ton units offer sensitivity at low pressure levels in applications where precise control of the load on the sample is required, such as pressing pellets of intrinsic pharmaceutical ingredients for dissolution rate analysis.

ICL's 1 & 2 Ton E-Z™ Presses feature the same unibody construction and other features common to our E-Z™ Press line, but we have redesigned these presses to maximize the sensitivity of the press for exact reproducibility of applied force. Normally, hydraulic presses use a pump to apply pressure to the piston of the hydraulic cylinder. The hydraulic fluid pump found in standard press designs increases the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in spurts which causes the force being applied by the press to jump in increments which are difficult to control with precision. In addition, there is some backflow of hydraulic fluid during the pumping process which amplifies the lack of reproducibility of force levels.

The Air-EZ™ Press adds automation to the patented unibody design that enables ICL to make the E-Z Press™ so light and ergonomic. The press is driven by an elegant and quiet pneumatic motor that runs off of your lab’s compressed air supply or most commercially available air compressors.

The Model 30 and Model 40 feature the same patented lightweight and ergonomic unibody design as the 12 ton and 20 ton models. To make what would normally be huge heavy presses as light and elegant as our lower capacity designs, we found the finest quality low profile hydraulic cylinders available. We oversized the hydraulic cylinders to make them as easy as possible to pump to full load. Both presses have an award winning 2 speed hand pump that reduces the number of required strokes by up to 78% and also reduces jacking effort. With ICL’s patented unibody construction design, we were able to keep the weight of both units to under 155 pounds. These high tonnage E-Z Presses™ are ideal for lab applications, such as briquetting samples for XRF spectroscopy, because of their ease of use, small footprint, light weight construction and built in safety features.

If you dread pumping up a manual press or crave lab space, this is the solution. The 30 and 40 ton versions of ICL’s new Air-EZ™ add a pneumatic drive to the comparable size manual E-Z Press™ and feature the same unique lightweight, ergonomic design. The Air-EZ™ is driven by compressed air, which is available in most labs or which can be provided by an inexpensive air compressor. No physical effort whatsoever is required. The press jacks up to its rated capacity of 30 or 40 tons in a mere 5 seconds by simply depressing the start lever on the pneumatic drive with feather light finger pressure. The pneumatic drive is attached to the press with a flexible hydraulic hose and can be operated on the floor as a foot pedal to save bench space. Ports in the walls of the press frame allow access for vacuum lines and electrical cords to the area between the platens, which enables use of the press with evacuable dies or heated platens. The Air-EZ™ is suitable for many lab applications, including XRF briquettes. For applications requiring more daylight between the platens, it is offered with the users choice of an 8 1/4" or 5 1/2" daylight opening. The Air-EZ™ press has a small footprint and all models weigh under 155 pounds.

The manually controlled 6" x 6" heated platens are of steel or aluminum construction and have an operating temperature range of 150° to 500°F (65° to 260°C) for aluminum or steel. The heated platens are controlled by an integral sensor and individual manual thermostats for each platen. A temperature controller is not required. The heated platens mate well with the Mini “C” column press (0012-4615) and are available with it and the Precision Thickness Film Maker (0012-4608) as a polymer film maker kit (0012-4656). Available in 115v, 60Hz or 230v, 50Hz, specify. A $300 CE marking charge applies to European shipments.

Hardened aerospace grade stainless steel is used to produce all of ICL’s die sets. The 3mm to 16mm dies are used primarily for KBr pellets for transmission analysis by IR spectroscopy, while the larger dies are most commonly used for producing briquettes for XRF spectroscopy. The 13mm Macro-Micro die is chosen by most spectroscopists for KBr pellets, and it is available with paper inserts with a variety of small apertures (1.5, 3, 5, & 11mm) that enable the user to make micro-pellets with a 13mm die set and also provide a useful frame for mounting and storing the pellets.

Our water jacketed dies enable heating and cooling of solid samples while they are under pressure, and are particularly useful when Electrical appliances cannot be used. For heating, boiling water is passed through the inlet flow tube and circulated through the water jacket. Cold water can likewise be circulated through the water jacket for cooling. Water jacketed dies come complete with the die, the water jacket and a pair of hardened polished anvils. Anvils are interchangeable with our 5mm to 40mm die sets.

ICL’s new dissolution kit enables testing of the intrinsic dissolution rate of active pharmaceutical ingredients. The intrinsic dissolution rate of the active pharmaceutical ingredients is measured to depict the dissolution rate of a drug and determine its batch to batch chemical equivalence.
The intrinsic dissolution rate is the rate of dissolution of pure pharmaceutical ingredients when conditions such as surface area, agitation or stirring speed, pH and ionic strength of the dissolution medium are held constant. The determination of this parameter allows labs to screen experimental drug formulations and to understand their behavior under different bio-physical conditions.

Paper Inserts, KBr Powder & Magnetic Pellet Holders

The 4" Diameter Polished Platens are useful for making large diameter polymer films.  The platens are made from 1/2" thick 316SS.  Platen surfaces are polished to a mirror finish.  There are ports in the platens to enable insertion of a thermocouple probe.  The platens are also tapped with a female thread to allow attachment of an optional handle.  Optional spacers to contain polymer samples are available in thicknesses and diameters specified by the customer.  The platens are compatible with our standard heated platens (0012-6664).

All column presses are manually operated and have safety shields, adjustable daylight openings and pressure gauges calibrated in both pounds and metric tons.

The Auto Pellet Presses are designed specifically for automating the pellet making and briquetting process for FTIR and XRF spectroscopy. The Auto Column Presses are designed for automated applications where a larger daylight opening is required or for use with heated platens.

Auto Pellet Presses are available in 25 ton and 40 ton models. They feature 7.5" daylight openings, 5" diameter platens and lead screws with hand wheels that allow the user to rapidly position a KBr or briquetting die in the sample chamber. The decompression (bleed off) rate can be controlled.

The EZ-Squeeze™ synthetic type II diamond compression cell is a wonderful tool for making transmission samples from materials that can be compressed into a transparent sample with moderate force. It is useful for compressing a broad spectrum of materials such as polymers, powders, abrasive samples and cured paint. The sample is simply compressed between the diamond windows by turning thumb screws on the face of the cell until the sample is thin enough for the beam of the spectrophotometer to penetrate. The cell is available with 1.6mm or 2.0mm windows, both of which are large enough to transmit sufficient energy through the sample to produce good spectral resolution without an expensive beam condenser. The cell is only 9.5mm thick at the thickest point and 6mm in the center, making it an ideal microscope stage. Sample preparation for the EZ-Squeeze™ may be aided by using our patented diamond tipped Micro-Plane™ (0012-6546) which operates like a wood plane to shave very thin samples off of substrates such as plastic bottles and painted objects.

This press is an arbor style press which uses the same 7mm, 4mm and 2mm die sets as are utilized with ICL's Quick Press and Port-a-Press.  By placing the press on a surface at desktop height, the operator's full upper body weight can be brought down on the press handle.  Using the leverage of the handle, the pellet is formed from the pressure created on the die set by the application of force to the handle.  The press weighs only 11 pounds and is easily moved around the lab.  The components that contact the die set are stainless steel. 

The 2 ton high profile E-Z Press™ incorporates the same wine press design as our standard 1 and 2 ton presses, but it also has a larger 5 ¼”  daylight opening and a larger sample compartment to enable use of the press with Wood apparatus intrinsic dissolution dies and other applications requiring a larger daylight opening.  The press has a 4 ½”diameter stainless steel platen.   A centering fixture is available to properly hold and center the 4”X 4” square base of any standard Wood Apparatus intrinsic dissolution die set on the platen of the press.  The High Profile 2 ton E-Z Press™ can be converted to a 20 ton press with a modular insert. 

The Digital Load Cell E-Z Press™ provides real time calibrated force readings displayed in a large, bright digital readout.   These laboratory presses are available in 1000 and 5000 pound versions.  They are useful for low force applications where a reliable calibrated force measurement is desirable, such as intrinsic dissolution testing.   Force is measured in most hydraulic lab presses by interpolation.   The pressure of the hydraulic fluid in a standard lab press is piped to a gauge and the gauge is marked to correspond to the rated force of the hydraulic cylinder at a known hydraulic fluid pressure.  This method of measurement, while reasonably accurate, is neither calibrated nor is it a direct measurement of force.   Furthermore, standard presses cause the force to increase in spurts as a pump forces hydraulic fluid against the piston of a hydraulic cylinder. 

The Digital Load Cell E-Z Press functions like a wine press.  The load is applied by turning the lead screw on top of the press against a sample which is mounted directly on top of a calibrated load cell with a digital readout. Force application by this method is more linear and allows for finer gradations in force selection.   The load cell is built into the press and is located beneath the 4.5” diameter stainless steel platen on which the sample is mounted.  The load cell is factory calibrated using NIST traceable instruments and standards to an accuracy of +/- 0.5% for linearity, repeatability and hysteresis combined.  

The digital load cell press can be used with either of ICL’s intrinsic dissolution apparatus models  as well as with ICL’s heated platens.  The load cell is highly sensitive, so expansion or contraction of the press frame will be detected by the load cell when a sample is clamped within the press.  An optional cooling coil is available for use with heated platens which will limit the expansion and contraction of the press body caused by temperature changes.