Precise material analysis plays a central role in many industries, from the pharmaceutical and food industries to construction materials, biotechnology, and environmental sciences. Whether for quality assurance or for predicting material behavior, the precise characterization of particles is crucial.

Development laboratories, materials research institutes, and testing facilities are confronted with a variety of challenges: Particles can vary widely in form and origin—be it powder, liquid, tablet, sand, microplastic, or pigment. To analyze this diversity, laboratories must strike a balance between precision, efficiency, and practical requirements. Accuracy and reproducibility are particularly important, because even the smallest deviations in particle size distribution—often in the micro or nanometer range—can significantly affect material properties. At the same time, the high throughput in production environments requires rapid analysis of numerous samples without compromising on measurement quality.

Representative samples of dry powder before measurement

That’s where dynamic image analysis (DIA) comes in. This innovative technology makes it possible to record a large number of parameters for determining particle size and shape in real time.

Christian Moitzi, research and development at Anton Paar GmbH, says, “Dynamic image analysis has proven itself as a viable R&D and quality control method in various industries. Particles are recorded as they flow through a measuring cell using high-speed cameras or other imaging sensors, then analyzed with software support.”

The Austrian company specializes in particle characterization. The devices developed by the company for this purpose are designed to capture high-speed images of moving particles. One of the most important components in Anton Paar’s successful dynamic image analyzers is a uEye Warp10 high-speed camera from IDS Imaging Development Systems, as well as the sample chamber and lighting system.

Dynamic image analyzer Litesizer DIA 700

Moitzi says, “With the Litesizer DIA series, the size and shape of particles can be characterized easily and reliably by directly analyzing the particle images. The most powerful device in the series, the Litesizer DIA 700, can measure particle sizes from 0.5 micrometers to 16 millimeters.”

Thousands or even millions of particles can be visualized in a matter of seconds during a measurement. Thanks to the high frame rate and fast data transmission, it’s possible to image an unrivaled number of particles within a short measuring time and analyze them in real time.

The better particles can be characterized, the better material behavior can be predicted.

1 million particles for errors of less than 1%

Moitzi says, “It starts with the preparation of a representative sample. This sample can consist of various materials, e.g., powders, granulates, suspensions, or even biological preparations such as cells. As a rule, more than a million particles are required to achieve a maximum error of less than 1%. Samples are fed in using one of three interchangeable dispersion units, which enables both dry powders and dispersions to be measured.”

The Litesizer DIA combines three dispersion units in one dynamic image analyzer.

The sample is placed in a chamber in which it is continuously moved or dispersed. Various mechanisms such as vibration, airflow, or fluid circulation can be used to keep the particles in motion. The particles, moving through the image field at a speed of up to 30 m/s, are illuminated stroboscopically. To avoid motion blur, the illumination pulse is shorter than 100 nanoseconds. The magnification can be adjusted by automatically changing three lenses.

The challenge of high-speed processing

“Large volumes of data have to be processed in real time,” says Moitzi, citing an important requirement for the system. The 10GigE Vision high-speed camera integrated with the help of the IDS peak SDK records an image sequence at the required high frame rate and thus enables the observation of fast particle movements.

In addition to the speed, the interface and sensor are decisive for selecting the camera model. The uEye Warp10 with an integrated Sony IMX255 global shutter CMOS sensor delivers everything the demanding task requires: high resolution, high frame rates, and noise-free image reproduction. Readout noise and dark current are among the lowest values in the entire sensor market. With its resolution of 5.10 MP (2472 px x 2064 px) at 220 fps, the camera is particularly suitable for applications where high speeds are required. The high resolution ensures that even the smallest details are captured.

Ultrafast 10GigE Vision industrial camera uEye Warp10

Describing the camera model used, Marcus Rembold, product owner of 2D cameras at IDS, says, “Compared to 1GigE cameras, the uEye Warp10 achieves up to 10 times the transmission bandwidth. Together with the combination of high resolution and high dynamic range, the GV-7090WP presents itself as an ultrafast, powerful all-rounder.”

The robust, GenICam-compliant uEye Warp10 camera can forward image information in the Gigabit Ethernet-based network with virtually no delay. This demonstrates its strengths in inspection tasks where objects need to be recorded and analyzed in full detail and without motion blur.

Sophisticated image analysis algorithms

“The camera images are transferred to the PC, where they are segmented and various size and shape parameters of each individual particle are calculated,” says Moitzi, explaining the next steps in image processing. “The heart of DIA lies in the analysis of the captured images. Sophisticated image-analysis algorithms and software are used to process the images and extract relevant information about the particles. The user rapidly receives, practically in real time, averaged-size distribution functions as a result. However, there’s also the option of analyzing individual particles and filtering images of particles with special properties from the entirety.”

Example: Building materials industry

The parameters examined provide detailed insights into the properties and behavior of a material sample. These can be bulk material properties such as density, flowability, ballistics, and others, and it’s useful information for sectors such as the building materials industry.

“The quality of cement depends heavily on the size and shape of its particles, which affect its surface, compressive strength, and curing time,” says Moitzi.

Particles that are too fine cause the end product to set exothermically, while particles that are too large don’t hydrate completely. The flowability and water requirement of cement can vary drastically between regular (spherical) and irregular particles. These factors can lead to cracking, shrinkage, or porosity that severely impairs the quality, durability, and mechanical properties of the cement.

Outlook

Investing in a dynamic image analysis device such as the Litesizer DIA 700, with its ultrafast, high-resolution 10 GigE industrial camera, pays off in the long term. Thanks to fast image processing and precise analysis in real time, process sequences are optimized and production decisions are made based on better data. More precise particle characterization enables better process control and optimized material use—for example, through more precise dosing and reducing faulty batches. This high-speed camera technology and fast image processing makes dynamic image analysis a particularly attractive, future-proof alternative to traditional methods such as laser diffraction.

The uEye Warp10: Ultrafast, high-resolution 10GigE industrial camera. Model used: GV-79F0WP-M-GL.