The Labpol 12 Auto Polisher/Grinder is an advanced design of Automatic Polisher/Grinder in which polishing or grinding protocols can be created as a program by entering the required parameters on a keypad and then stored for future use.
The base cabinet contains the rotating platen which is driven by a powerful DC motor via a belt drive. This provides adequate torque for grinding 6 samples simultaneously. Platen size of 12" diameter fits onto the platen support. The platen speed is adjustable from 50 rpm to 500 rpm and the platen can be rotated clockwise(CW) or counterclockwise.
The polishing head accepts a sample holder for 6 samples. Sample sized up to 2" diameter can be fitted. The sample holder is rotated at a constant speed by the head motor. An arrangement of 6 air cylinders is located around the rotating specimen holder shaft. The moving pistons in each air cylinder are fully extended by applying airline pressure and locate at the center point of each sample position. In this way each sample is individually loaded. Sample leveling is unnecessary and adaptors are used for a specific sample diameter, thereby reducing the tendency for the samples to tilt during polishing. Because of the individual loading the polisher/grinder can be run with only one sample or as many as six.
The polishing/grinding head can be rotated clear of the cabinet for easy change of platens and so that the unit can be used as for manual or grinding.