Laboratory mill

Abstract

Laboratory mill, in particular cutting mill (1) for laboratory operation, further in particular table cutting mill, with a housing (2) and a drive motor (3) with drive shaft (4) connected to the housing (2), wherein a grinding tool, in particular a cutting rotor (5) with at least one cutting blade (6), can be connected to the drive shaft (4), in particular for cutting and crushing material by shearing action, with a grinding chamber (15) provided in the housing (2) for arranging the grinding tool in the grinding chamber (15) and with a material hopper (11) which has a material feed chute (93) for supplying the material to the grinding chamber (15), characterized in that a chute receptacle (92) for the material feed chute (93) is provided by a recess or hollow and / or depression in the housing (2) and that the material feed chute (93) is inserted at least partially into the chute receptacle (92).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a laboratory mill, in particular a cutting mill for laboratory use, further in particular a table cutting mill, comprising a housing and a drive motor with a drive shaft connected to the housing, wherein a grinding tool, in particular a cutting rotor with at least one cutting blade, can be connected to the drive shaft, in particular for cutting and comminuting material to be ground by shearing action, comprising a grinding chamber provided in the housing for arranging the grinding tool in the grinding chamber and comprising a material to be ground hopper which has a material feed shaft for feeding the material to be ground to the grinding chamber.

[0002] The invention further relates to a grinding material hopper which has a material feed chute for feeding the grinding material to the grinding chamber and, preferably, a material filling chute opening into the material feed chute in the region of an inlet opening, designed for use in a laboratory mill of the type described above.

[0003] Laboratory cutting mills comminute the material to be ground using a scissor-like cutting action between a rotating cutting rotor with attached cutting blades and stationary counterblades located on the inside of the grinding chamber side wall. The cutting blades and counterblades extend in the axial direction of the drive shaft as cutting bars. Laboratory cutting mills are advantageously used for comminuting soft, medium-hard, tough, elastic, fibrous, and heterogeneous sample mixtures. Examples of laboratory cutting mills are the applicant's SM 100, SM 200, and SM 300 cutting mills.

[0004] In rotor impact mills, comminution and deagglomeration occur through impact and shearing. In the center of the grinding chamber, the feed material is crushed between the rotor, sieve, and grinding insert. As soon as the material to be ground is lighter than the aperture size of a sieve, it falls through the gravity outlet into a collecting vessel. If necessary, a cyclone separator can be used to achieve not only effective cooling of the material to be ground and the cutting tools, but also improved sample discharge from the grinding chamber. An example of a rotor impact mill is the applicant's SR 300 rotor impact mill. Rotor impact mills are used for the coarse and fine comminution of dry, soft, medium-hard, organic, and inorganic substances.

[0005] Cross beater mills are also suitable for coarse and fine comminution and are used for processing medium-hard and brittle materials. Comminution occurs through impact. The feed material enters the center of the grinding chamber, where it is captured by a cross beater and crushed between the impact plates of the cross beater and a toothed grinding insert. As soon as the material is smaller than the aperture size of an inserted bottom sieve, it passes through this and enters a collecting container via the gravity outlet. The ambient air drawn into the grinding chamber by the cross beater accelerates the discharge of the crushed material. A cyclone separator can also be used here to ensure not only effective cooling of the grinding material and the cutting tools, but also improved discharge of the sample from the grinding chamber. An example of a cross beater mill is the applicant's SK 300 cross beater mill.

[0006] In conventional laboratory mills, the material to be ground is usually fed into the grinding chamber via a material hopper. In conventional cutting mills, for example, the material hopper is mounted in the area of ​​an upper housing opening of a cutting mill housing, and the material to be ground enters the grinding chamber via the material hopper and a material channel connected to the upper housing opening. In rotor impact mills and cross impact mills, however, the hopper can be mounted from the front or front side onto a housing door of a laboratory mill housing. In this case, the material to be ground is not fed radially to the drive shaft or grinding tool, but rather from the front via an opening in the housing door into which the outlet opening of the material hopper opens.

[0007] The present invention is based on the object of increasing the usability of the previously known laboratory mills, in particular the usability of cutting mills.

[0008] In particular, the present invention is based on the object of providing a laboratory mill of the type mentioned at the outset, which is characterized by high operational reliability and, during the grinding process, by improved protection against the splashing back of grinding material components from the area of ​​the grinding chamber into the surroundings of the laboratory mill.

[0009] In particular, the laboratory mill should be characterized by the ability to feed the material to be ground via a hopper while maintaining a low overall height. This should make the laboratory mill particularly suitable for use as a benchtop unit.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention is based on the object of providing improved access to the grinding material hopper and, preferably, to the grinding chamber for cleaning in a laboratory mill of the type mentioned at the outset.

[0011] Finally, the operation of the laboratory mill should be very comfortable to use.

[0012] The aforementioned objects are each achieved by a cutting mill having the features of independent claims 1, 12, 16, and 28. Advantageous embodiments of the inventive solution are the subject of the subclaims.

[0013] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a cutting mill of the type mentioned above, wherein a shaft receptacle for the material feed shaft of the grinding material hopper is provided in the housing of the laboratory mill, the shaft receptacle being formed by a recess or gap and / or depression in the housing, and wherein the material feed shaft can be inserted or inserted into the shaft receptacle at least partially and, preferably, detachably. The material feed shaft of the grinding material hopper engages, at least at its lower edge region, in the shaft receptacle formed in the housing of the laboratory mill, so that a secure hold of the grinding material hopper on the housing is achieved. The shaft receptacle in the housing can be adjacent to the grinding material inlet of a cassette arranged in the housing, wherein the cassette forms a grinding chamber rear wall and a grinding chamber side wall.This ensures the transfer of the grinding material from the grinding material hopper into the grinding chamber via the shaft holder and the grinding material inlet.

[0014] Furthermore, the material feed chute of the grinding material hopper, which at least partially engages with the shaft receptacle of the housing of the laboratory mill, enables a stable installation of the grinding material hopper on the housing. The material feed chute can be inserted into the shaft receptacle from above via an upper housing opening. This ensures easy handling of the grinding material hopper and ensures that the grinding material hopper stands securely on the housing of the laboratory mill.

[0015] The grinding material hopper preferably represents a separate assembly, which is preferably detachably connectable or connected to the housing.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the material feed chute can be inserted, in particular pushed, into the chute receptacle via a front or end face. The chute receptacle, which is formed by a recess or cutout and / or depression in the housing of the laboratory mill, is then open toward the front or end face of the housing.

[0017] In particular, the material feed chute can be inserted into the chute holder and / or removed from the chute holder without the need for tools. This simplifies the handling of the material feed chute and thus the grinding hopper during assembly of the grinding hopper and any attachment of the grinding hopper to the housing of the laboratory mill.

[0018] A pivoting housing door can be provided on the housing, whereby the material feed chute can only be inserted into the chute receptacle when the housing door is in the open position. To insert the material feed chute into the chute receptacle, the housing door is first pivoted open and moved into an open position, allowing access to the material feed chute via the front or end of the housing. The grinding hopper is then positioned with the material feed chute so that the material feed chute can be pushed or inserted into the chute receptacle in the direction of the drive shaft's axis of rotation.

[0019] The grinding material hopper is preferably a separate assembly that is designed for detachable attachment to and / or with the housing. At least one connecting means can be provided for attaching or positively and / or non-positively connecting the grinding material hopper to the housing. For example, the grinding material hopper can have a hopper housing that can be secured to the housing of the laboratory mill with a connecting means, for example via a screw connection, when the material feed chute has reached a predetermined insertion position when inserted into the chute receptacle. In addition, there is the possibility of connecting the material feed chute, i.e. at least one chute wall that delimits the material feed chute, in particular laterally or also at the rear or on the motor side, to the housing of the laboratory mill in a positively and / or non-positively manner via at least one connecting means.For example, it may be provided to screw a rear wall of the material feed chute to the housing of the laboratory mill when the grinding material hopper has reached a proper mounting position when inserting the material feed chute into the chute holder.

[0020] The grinding chamber rear wall and the grinding chamber side wall of the grinding chamber can be formed on an interchangeable cassette, wherein a cassette receptacle formed by a recess or cutout and / or depression in the housing is formed in the housing of the laboratory mill for receiving the cassette. In particular, the cassette can be inserted into the cassette receptacle without the need for tools, wherein the outer geometry of a side wall and rear wall of the cassette, on the one hand, and the receiving geometry of the cassette receptacle, formed by the geometry of a side wall of the housing that delimits the cassette receptacle, are coordinated and complementary to one another.

[0021] The interchangeable cassette can be fully inserted or removed into the cassette holder. The housing is at rest during grinding operation of the laboratory mill and is stationary relative to the drive shaft.

[0022] Particularly preferably, only the grinding chamber rear wall and the grinding chamber side wall are formed on the interchangeable cassette, which for this purpose can have a one-piece and / or single-piece base body that defines the grinding chamber radially and axially on the motor side. A grinding chamber cover, which can be releasably placed against the base body, can form an at least partial closure of the grinding chamber on the front or front side of the cassette facing away from the drive motor.

[0023] The grinding chamber cover can preferably be held or fastened to a housing door that is directly or indirectly connected to the housing and can be opened and closed, and can be moved together with the housing door. When the housing door is closed, the grinding chamber cover can rest against the interchangeable cassette and at least partially close off the grinding chamber on the front of the housing. By opening the housing door, the grinding chamber cover is moved into an open position together with the housing door, allowing access into the grinding chamber via the front of the housing, for example, to remove the interchangeable cassette from the cassette holder and / or to clean the grinding chamber.

[0024] However, a design in which the grinding chamber cover is detachably attached to a base body of the interchangeable cassette that borders the grinding chamber side wall and the grinding chamber rear wall is also possible. In this case, the base body can be removed from the cassette holder together with the grinding chamber cover or inserted into the cassette holder.

[0025] Preferably, the walls that define the grinding chamber radially and axially, or on the motor side, are formed on a replaceable cassette. The housing has a receptacle for the cassette, the geometry of which is adapted to the cassette geometry and size, so that the cassette can be fully inserted into the cassette receptacle. The front surfaces of the replaceable cassette and the front surfaces of the housing wall that defines the cassette receptacle can then be aligned, or the front surfaces of the replaceable cassette can be lowered relative to the front surfaces of the housing wall that defines the cassette receptacle.

[0026] During operation of the laboratory mill according to the invention, the grinding tool then sweeps over the rear wall of the cassette, which forms the grinding chamber rear wall. The grinding chamber side wall is formed by a side wall of the interchangeable cassette, which can essentially concentrically surround the rotational axis of the drive shaft, at least in some areas.

[0027] The use of an interchangeable cassette forming the grinding chamber allows for simplified cleaning. After opening the housing door and the associated grinding chamber cover, the grinding chamber can be easily cleaned via the open front panel of the interchangeable cassette. The cassette can remain in the cassette holder during cleaning.

[0028] Alternatively, the cassette can also be removed from the cassette holder for cleaning purposes.

[0029] In addition, it is possible to use cassettes made of different cassette materials, for example steel, aluminum or certain steels, particularly those low in heavy metals.

[0030] In addition, cassettes can be used that differ from one another in the direction of the ground material flow when removing the ground material from the grinding chamber and / or the direction of the ground material flow when feeding the ground material into the grinding chamber.

[0031] In principle, cassettes with different dimensions of the grinding chamber can also be used, which may require the use of intermediate or adapter pieces that are inserted into the cassette holder.

[0032] The invention particularly preferably provides that the removable cassette can be inserted into the cassette holder via a front side of the housing. This simplifies handling of the cassette when inserting it into the cassette holder and when removing it from the cassette holder.

[0033] The term "interchangeable cassette" within the meaning of the invention refers to cassette solutions in which a cassette, as a separate component or separate assembly, forms the grinding chamber rear wall and the grinding chamber side wall, and, if appropriate, a grinding chamber front wall, thus spatially delimiting the grinding chamber. Particularly preferably, the grinding chamber rear wall and the grinding chamber side wall are formed by a cassette base body, wherein the grinding chamber front wall can be formed by a grinding chamber cover that closes the grinding chamber toward the front of the laboratory mill and can be detachably connected to the cassette base body or pressed against the cassette base body.

[0034] Furthermore, the cassette can be replaced without tools, which in turn simplifies handling when changing cassettes. The removable cassette can be removed from or inserted into the cassette holder entirely manually, without the use of tools such as screwdrivers or pliers.

[0035] However, "tool-free" within the meaning of the invention also includes embodiments in which locking, latching, or detent means that secure the cassette in the cassette receptacle must be manually operated in order to secure the cassette in the cassette receptacle and / or remove it from the cassette receptacle. For example, a manually operable pin can be provided to secure the cassette in the cassette receptacle after the cassette has reached a specific insertion position. This pin engages positively and / or non-positively with the cassette and / or the housing, thereby securing the cassette in a specific position in the cassette receptacle.

[0036] Preferably, however, the cassette can be inserted into and removed from the cassette receptacle without having to actuate connecting, locking, and / or arresting means. Inserting and removing the cassette into and from the cassette receptacle is then carried out without the use of tools and does not require the actuation of connecting elements designed for a positive and / or non-positive connection between the cassette and the housing.

[0037] Particularly preferably, the grinding chamber rear wall and the grinding chamber side wall are formed on a single-piece or one-piece cassette base body. In principle, however, the grinding chamber rear wall and the grinding chamber side wall can also be formed on detachably connected cassette components.

[0038] A sieve or grid insert can be inserted into the grinding chamber in a manner known per se, whereby a sieve seat for the sieve or grid insert can be formed on the inside of the side wall of the interchangeable cassette in the area of ​​a cassette opening in order to hold the insert in and on the cassette.

[0039] The housing comprises at least one recess, cutout or gap which forms a cassette holder.

[0040] The cassette receptacle can be formed by a recess in the housing that is at least partially circular. The cassette receptacle can be adjacent to or transition upwards into an upper recess or upper cutout in the housing, which opens into an upper housing opening. The cassette receptacle can be adjacent to or transition downwards into at least one lower recess or lower cutout in the housing, which opens into at least one lower housing opening.

[0041] The upper recess or upper cutout in the housing can, as described above, be provided for the partial, end-side accommodation of a material feed shaft of a grinding material hopper and form a shaft receptacle. Furthermore, a grinding material inlet formed on the cassette through the cassette wall, which opens into an upper cassette opening and through which the grinding material to be comminuted is fed to the area of ​​the cutting rotor or the grinding chamber, can engage at least partially in the upper recess or upper cutout in the housing or be adjacent to the upper recess or cutout.

[0042] The lower recess or lower cutout in the housing can be provided for the partial reception of an outlet funnel connected to the exchangeable cassette, wherein the lower recess or lower cutout forms an outlet funnel receptacle.

[0043] The cassette has an upper cassette opening and at least one lower cassette opening. The ground material enters the cassette and thus the grinding chamber through the upper housing opening and the upper cassette opening. The ground material leaves the grinding chamber and the cassette through the lower cassette opening and exits the housing through the lower housing opening.

[0044] Particularly preferably, as described above, an openable and closable housing door can be provided, which can preferably be pivotally mounted on the housing forming the cassette receptacle. When the housing door is closed, the housing door can transmit a clamping force to the cassette, so that the cassette is pressed in the axial direction towards the drive motor and is clamped axially in the cassette receptacle. At least one sealing element can be provided between the housing door and the cassette, which is compressed when the housing door is closed and thus ensures that the cassette is clamped axially in the cassette receptacle without any play. The sealing element thus fulfills a sealing function and, at the same time, functions as a means for transmitting a clamping force to the cassette.

[0045] The shaft receptacle formed in the housing of the laboratory mill for accommodating the material feed shaft can open into an upper housing opening of the housing. The shaft receptacle can be aligned radially to the grinding tool and run obliquely to the direction of gravity. The upper housing opening of the housing can be offset laterally relative to the axis of rotation of the drive shaft. As a result, the material feed shaft can extend or be aligned obliquely to the direction of gravity with respect to its longitudinal extent.

[0046] In particular, the grinding material hopper has an outer housing with a material filling chute with a filling slope, wherein the material filling chute opens into the material feed chute in an opening region, wherein the material filling chute and the material feed chute overlap and merge into one another in the opening region, and wherein a grinding material slide is guided in the material feed chute in a longitudinally adjustable manner. The grinding material hopper can in particular comprise a grinding material or stuffing slide which is guided in the material feed chute of the grinding material hopper, as described, for example, in DE 29702876 U1. However, the grinding material hopper can also have a different structural design; in particular, no stuffing slide needs to be provided to move the grinding material via the material feed chute towards the cutting rotor.

[0047] The upper cassette opening of the interchangeable cassette is aligned with the housing's shaft receptacle when the interchangeable cassette is inserted into the cassette receptacle. When the material feed chute of the grinding hopper is inserted into the shaft receptacle, the material to be ground is fed into the grinding chamber via the upper cassette opening and, if necessary, a section of the interchangeable cassette that forms a material inlet.

[0048] The shaft receptacle and the cassette receptacle can preferably be formed by a common, continuous and uninterrupted recess, cutout and / or depression in the housing.

[0049] The removable cassette and the material feed chute can be inserted into the cassette receptacle or the chute receptacle of the housing independently of each other and / or removed from the housing. This requires a corresponding design of the adjacent edge geometries of the removable cassette and the material feed chute. In this context, the material feed chute and the cassette can have geometrically complementary edge geometries on opposite edge areas. Complementary edge geometries can be formed on the side wall and / or rear wall of the cassette and on the side walls and / or a rear wall of the material feed chute.

[0050] Spacing the edge geometries from each other simplifies the replacement of the interchangeable cassette independently of the material feed chute. The cassette can be inserted into and / or removed from the cassette holder independently of the material feed chute. This simplifies cassette replacement without having to disassemble the grinding hopper from the housing of the laboratory mill.

[0051] In this context, it can preferably be provided that the edge geometries of the removable cassette and the material feed chute are designed to complement each other in such a way that the removable cassette can be displaced relative to the material feed chute mounted on the housing in the drive shaft direction and can thus be inserted into and removed from the cassette receptacle, while the material feed chute remains in the chute receptacle. This simplifies insertion and removal via the front of the housing into the corresponding receiving areas for the removable cassette and the material feed chute.

[0052] Furthermore, the inner surfaces of the interchangeable cassette and the material feed chute can be substantially aligned when inserted and / or an expansion of the flow cross-section can be provided at the transition between the material feed chute and the interchangeable cassette in the area of ​​the upper cassette opening in order to avoid the deposition of crushed material on projections and / or edges in the transition area.

[0053] In order to prevent the fed-in grinding material from escaping via adjacent edge geometries of the interchangeable cassette and material feed chute of the grinding material hopper into the area of ​​the cassette holder and / or the material feed chute, the interchangeable cassette and the material feed chute can be arranged at a distance from one another at edge geometries of the interchangeable cassette and material feed chute that are adjacent to one another when inserted, in particular to form an air gap for the extraction of false air during grinding operation. Grinding operation in the grinding chamber can be carried out at a negative pressure level using a cyclone separator with extraction of a grinding material air stream and an extraction device connected to the cyclone separator. When the grinding material-air mixture is extracted from the interchangeable cassette, ambient air can then be drawn in via the air gap between the adjacent edge geometries of the interchangeable cassette and material feed chute.This prevents the feed material from escaping through the adjacent edges of the interchangeable cassette and the material feed chute, particularly into the cassette holder and thus into the interior of the cutting mill. This significantly reduces cleaning effort. It also ensures that cassettes can be easily changed without having to detach the grinding hopper from the laboratory mill and remove the material feed chute from the chute holder.

[0054] Furthermore, the mutual spacing of the exchangeable cassette and the material feed chute reliably prevents damage during grinding operation due to mechanical contact between the exchangeable cassette and the material feed chute.

[0055] The air gap or the mutual spacing is preferably provided over the entire surface between the adjacent edge geometries of the exchange cassette and the material feed chute, so that the extraction of false air can take place over the entire extent of the facing edge geometries or at any point.

[0056] When inserting the material feed chute into the chute holder, the grinding material hopper can be manually held via the hopper housing. Once the material feed chute has reached a predetermined insertion position, it is then possible to connect the material feed chute and / or the hopper housing of the grinding material hopper to the housing of the laboratory mill with a positive and / or non-positive fit, in particular by screwing.

[0057] In the insertion position, the material feed chute is then preferably aligned obliquely to the direction of gravity with respect to its longitudinal extent.

[0058] In order to prevent, or at least to make it more difficult for, ground material to escape via adjacent edge geometries of the material feed chute and the exchangeable cassette into the chute receptacle or the cassette receptacle, the adjacent edge geometries can form a labyrinth geometry, particularly in the circumferential direction of the drive shaft, based on the state in which the exchangeable cassette and material feed chute are inserted into the housing.

[0059] As already described above, a housing door can be provided that is movable from a closed position to an open position relative to the housing. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a grinding chamber cover can be held on the motor side of the housing door in order to at least partially close off the grinding chamber of the interchangeable cassette from the front of the interchangeable cassette when the housing door is closed. For example, an insert made of an insert material can be let into a recess on the motor side of the housing door. This insert forms the grinding chamber cover and is moved together with the housing door when the housing door is opened and closed. When the housing door is in the closed position, the insert then comes into contact with the side wall of the interchangeable cassette, which forms the grinding chamber side wall, and closes off the grinding chamber at least partially from the front, thus forming a grinding chamber front wall.The insert material may have different material properties than the door material of the housing door.

[0060] A seal can be provided between the housing door and the removable cassette, creating a seal between the housing door and the removable cassette when the housing door is closed. When the housing door is closed, a clamping force can be transferred to the removable cassette via the sealing element, so that the removable cassette is pressed against a housing wall axially bordering the cassette receptacle and is clamped in the cassette receptacle. The clamping force required to clamp the removable cassette in the cassette receptacle is applied via the housing door.

[0061] According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a laboratory mill of the type mentioned at the outset, a housing door is provided which is movable, in particular pivotable, relative to the housing from an open position to a closed position in order to achieve the objects mentioned at the outset, wherein the grinding material hopper has an openable shaft wall which is formed by the housing door when the housing door is in the closed position. The grinding material hopper is then opened laterally with the housing door of the laboratory mill, so that easy access to the interior of the grinding material hopper for cleaning is possible. Surface areas of the housing door on the inside of the housing door form a frontal or end-side shaft wall of the grinding material hopper.

[0062] In this embodiment of the invention, which is characterized by the possibility of easy cleaning of the material feed chute, a material feed chute inserted into the chute receptacle and, preferably, a material filling chute opening into the material feed chute can be delimited, at least in regions, preferably at least substantially completely, by a front chute wall, wherein the front chute wall is formed by the housing door when the housing door is in a closed position.

[0063] The housing door can preferably essentially completely close or cover the product feed chute and, preferably, the product filling chute in the closed position. The product feed chute and, preferably, the product filling chute are then not designed to be closed all the way around, but are designed to be open at least in some areas, preferably completely, at the ends or front. The product feed chute and, if applicable, the product filling chute then do not form a circumferentially closed chute or channel, but rather have a cut-out wall section at the end in which the respective chute is open to the outside. The cut-out wall section is covered and closed by the housing door in the closed position of the housing door. When the housing door is open, this creates better access for cleaning the product feed chute and, if applicable, the product filling chute.When the housing door is in the closed position, the respective shaft is then limited by fixed side and rear or motor-side shaft walls and by the housing door at the front or on the side of the housing facing away from the drive motor.

[0064] Preferably, in the open position of the housing door, intervention or access is possible in or to all areas of the grinding material hopper which come into contact with the grinding material when the grinding material is fed via the grinding material hopper and which therefore have to be cleaned of grinding material residues after the end of a grinding process.

[0065] A frontal shaft wall of the material feed shaft and, preferably, a frontal shaft wall of a material filling shaft of the grinding material hopper opening into the material feed shaft can be formed by the housing door when the housing door is in the closed position.

[0066] In this context, the housing door may have an insert made of a low-abrasive material that is firmly connected to the housing door. When the housing door is closed, the insert then forms a front wall of the material feed chute and, preferably, the material filling chute.

[0067] However, the grinding material hopper can also have or be designed as a single material feed chute, with the material being fed manually from above into the material feed chute rather than from the side via a material feed chute with a hopper geometry that opens into the material feed chute. The material feed chute can be designed as a hopper and can be used particularly for feeding elongated materials into the grinding chamber.

[0068] A sealing element can be provided which, when the housing door is closed, rests against a shaft wall of the material feed shaft and, if applicable, against a shaft wall of the material filling shaft and seals the respective shaft against the housing door.

[0069] According to a third aspect of the invention, in a laboratory mill of the type mentioned at the outset, it is provided that a grinding material slide is guided in the material feed chute of the grinding material hopper so as to be longitudinally movable between a raised position and a lowered position and that a lock flap is provided, in particular to close the material feed chute to the grinding chamber when the grinding material slide is in the raised position.

[0070] The airlock valve closes the material feed chute to the grinding chamber, preventing unintentional access by the laboratory mill operator via the material hopper to the grinding tool area. Furthermore, when the material slide is raised, the airlock valve provides a backsplash guard, effectively preventing the unintentional discharge of material. The airlock valve thus fulfills a safety function in two respects.

[0071] The grinding material pusher can be used to push the material to be ground into the grinding chamber in a conventional manner. When the grinding material pusher is lowered, the grinding chamber is correspondingly reduced in size and closed. According to the invention, the lock flap then effectively prevents the escape of material from the grinding chamber via the grinding material hopper into the environment when the grinding material pusher is raised. At the same time, the laboratory mill according to the invention can be designed as a tabletop unit with a low overall height, ensuring a high level of user comfort when feeding the material into the hopper.

[0072] The grinding material hopper can have a material filling chute opening into the material feed chute, the lower chute wall of which forms a filling slope for the material to be ground. The lock flap can then be arranged so as to be pivoted about a flap joint towards the opening of the material filling chute into the material feed chute. The flap joint is preferably arranged in the region of the opening. In a closed position, with the grinding material slide preferably raised to its maximum, the lock flap can then close the opening. The grinding material can then be fed in via the material filling chute, with the lock flap preventing the grinding material from entering the grinding chamber. If the grinding material slide is then lowered, a pivoting movement of the lock flap opens the material feed chute for the grinding material to be fed into the grinding chamber.

[0073] To ensure a high level of safety and backsplash protection, the material feed chute can be closed when the grinding material slide is raised by a (first) flap section of the lock flap adjacent to the material feed chute and, preferably, extending from the flap joint into the material feed chute. When the grinding material slide is raised, this ensures that no ground material escapes from the grinding chamber into the environment via the material feed chute and, in particular, a material filling chute leading into the material feed chute.

[0074] When the grinding material slide is lowered, the opening where the material feed chute opens into the material feed chute can be closed by a (second) flap section of the lock flap adjacent to the material feed chute and, preferably, extending upwards from the flap joint when the grinding material slide is lowered. This prevents external interference with the area of ​​the material feed chute or unintentional access from the outside via the material feed chute to the grinding material slide guided in the material feed chute. This leads to even greater operating safety.

[0075] In the fully lowered position of the grinding material slide, the (first) flap section adjacent to the material feed chute and / or the (second) flap section of the lock flap adjacent to the material filling chute can be aligned at least partially, preferably completely, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the grinding material slide and / or abut laterally against the grinding material slide with respect to the longitudinal extent of the lock flap. In the lowered position, the (first) flap section adjacent to the material feed chute can then extend downwards parallel to the grinding material slide and be arranged between the grinding material slide and a side wall of the material feed chute.

[0076] In a further preferred embodiment, a longitudinal movement of the grinding material slide during the movement between the raised position and the lowered position in the material feed chute and a pivoting movement of the lock flap are kinematically coupled, in particular via a coupling rod. A longitudinal movement of the grinding material slide then automatically leads to an adjustment movement of the flap into a closed position or from the closed position to an open position. Particularly preferably, a kinematic coupling of the grinding material slide and lock flap is provided such that a longitudinal movement of the grinding material slide towards the grinding chamber leads to a pivoting movement of the lock flap even before the grinding material slide and lock flap come into direct contact. The flap thus, to a certain extent, precedes the movement of the grinding material slide. The laboratory mill according to the invention thus meets high demands for splashback protection and safety.Furthermore, when the laboratory mill is designed as a table-top device, a small distance from the floor of the inlet opening from the material filling chute to the material feed chute can be achieved, which further simplifies the handling of the laboratory mill according to the invention.

[0077] Residues of grinding material in the area of ​​the flap joint and / or on the underside of the lock flap are disadvantageous, as they can interfere with the closing movement of the flap, even leading to a loss of the locking function of the lock flap. To prevent the agglomeration of grinding material components below the flap joint and / or on the underside of the lock flap during operation of the laboratory mill according to the invention, a purge air channel and / or a purge air gap can be formed below the flap joint and / or on the underside of the lock flap.

[0078] In extraction mode, a suction device can extract a mixture of ground material and air from the grinding chamber through a lower housing opening in the housing of the laboratory mill, creating a negative pressure level in the grinding chamber, for example, when using a cyclone separator to separate the ground material air flow. By spacing the flap joint and, preferably, the entire airlock flap from the impact wall of the material feed chute, purge air can flow past the flap joint along the underside of the airlock flap, thus counteracting the buildup of ground material residue.

[0079] For simplified cleaning of the lock flap, the grinding material hopper can have an openable shaft wall, in particular on the front side of the housing, wherein the lock flap can preferably be removed from the grinding material hopper without tools when the openable shaft wall is in an open position.

[0080] In particular, as described above, a housing door can be provided that is movable, in particular pivotable, relative to the housing from an open position to a closed position. The openable shaft wall is then formed by the housing door when the housing door is in the closed position. The housing door then forms a frontal shaft wall of the material feed shaft and, preferably, the material filling shaft. Particularly when the grinding material slide is raised, the lock flap can be removed from the front or front of the grinding material hopper and inserted into it for replacement or cleaning when the housing door is in the open position.

[0081] To prevent the agglomeration of ground material components, the ground material slide and the sluice gate can have complementary engagement geometries with teeth, prongs, or prongs. These complementary engagement geometries engage when the ground material slide is lowered into the material feed chute and has reached a certain lowering position in the material feed chute. When the ground material slide and the sluice gate come into contact, ground material agglomerations are then scraped off or combed out on the top and / or bottom of the sluice gate.

[0082] Particularly preferably, complementary engagement geometries are provided at the lower end of the grinding material slide facing the grinding chamber and / or at a flap section of the lock flap that closes the material feed chute when the grinding material slide is in a raised position. In particular, the lock flap can have a combing on the flap section extending into the material feed chute, wherein a combing with a counter-geometry at the lower end of the slide can engage with the combing of the lock flap to strip off grinding material residues.

[0083] Furthermore, it is possible to provide a scraper element in the material feed chute, which is particularly connected to a side wall of the material feed chute or formed on the side wall. In particular, the scraper element is arranged below the airlock flap and, when the material slide is lowered and / or when the airlock flap pivots, engages with the airlock flap or, if appropriate, also with the material slide in order to scrape off any remaining material.

[0084] A detection unit can be provided to detect the insertion position of the airlock flap in the grinding hopper. A safety switch can be provided to automatically query the correct insertion position of the airlock flap. A contactless switch can be provided to check the insertion position of the airlock flap. The flap can also contact a mechanical switch that closes an electrical safety circuit when the airlock flap is correctly inserted into the grinding hopper. The closing of the safety circuit can then be linked to the display or output of a confirmation signal confirming the correct insertion of the airlock flap into the grinding hopper.

[0085] A further aspect of the present invention provides for a laboratory mill of the type mentioned above, in which a grinding material slide is guided in the material feed chute so as to be longitudinally movable between a raised position and a lowered position, wherein the grinding material slide is subjected to an actuating force for the automatic adjustment of the grinding material slide from the lowered position to the raised position, in particular to a maximally raised position. The grinding material slide can then be pressed down by hand to compact the grinding chamber. If the grinding material slide is relieved of load, the grinding material slide is then automatically moved back up into a raised position due to the (re)actuating force and remains there due to the actuating force.The standard position of the grinding material slide can then be a raised position, so that grinding material can be fed into the material feed chute via the material filling chute until the grinding material slide is moved back down by hand into a lowered position and the lock flap pivots.

[0086] A spring means, in particular a gas spring, can be provided to generate the actuating force. Due to the action of the gas spring, the slide is then automatically held in the raised position.

[0087] To further simplify operation of the laboratory mill, a locking mechanism can be provided to lock the grinding material slide, preferably automatically, against the actuating force. In particular, automatic locking occurs when the slide reaches its maximum lowered position.

[0088] The features of the above-described aspects of the present invention can be combined with one another as needed, even if this is not explicitly described. The present invention is not limited to laboratory mills that are designed and constructed for use with tool-free interchangeable cassettes.

[0089] The invention is described below by way of example with reference to the drawings. The features shown and described using the example of a cutting mill can, if necessary, also be implemented in laboratory mills of other designs, in particular in rotor mills, such as rotor impact mills, or in cross-impact mills.

[0090] The drawing shows: Fig. 1 a perspective view of a cutting mill according to the invention obliquely from above; Fig. 2 a front view of the cutting mill from Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a component group of the cutting mill from Fig. 1 in a perspective view after dismantling a front housing door of the cutting mill; Fig. 4 the component group Fig. 3 in a front view; Fig. 5 a component group of the cutting mill from Fig. 1 in a perspective partial view after dismantling the housing door of the cutting mill; Fig. 6A the detail VI-A from Fig. 3; Fig. 6B the detail VI-B from Fig. 8; Fig. 7A the detail VII-A from Fig. 5; Fig. 7B the detail VII-B from Fig. 8; Fig. 8 a cross-sectional view of the cutting mill from Fig. 1 along the section line VIII-VIII from Fig. 18; Fig. 9 the cutting mill Fig. 1 in a perspective view after opening the housing door of the cutting mill; Fig. 10 shows an exchangeable cassette of a first embodiment for the cutting mill from Fig. 1 in a perspective view; Fig. 11 the removable cassette Fig. 10 in a front view; Fig. 12 the removable cassette Fig. 10 in a rear view; Fig. 13 a housing of the cutting mill made of Fig. 1 in a perspective view; Fig. 14 the housing Fig. 13 in a front view; Fig. 15 the housing Fig. 13 in a rear view; Fig. 16 a component group of the cutting mill from Fig. 1 in a perspective view with the housing made of Fig. 13 inserted interchangeable cassette and inserted cutting rotor; Fig. 17 a front view of the component group from Fig. 16 Fig. 18 a plan view of the cutting mill according to the invention from Fig. 1; Fig. 19 a cross-sectional view of the cutting mill according to the invention from Fig. 18 along the section line XIX-XIX Fig. 18 with an optional stop as an anti-rotation device on the inside of the housing of the cutting mill; Fig. 20 the detail XX from Fig. 19; Fig. 21 a longitudinal sectional view of the cutting mill from Fig. 18 along the section line XXI - XXI from Fig. 18; Fig. 22 the detail XXII from Fig. 21; Fig. 23 a perspective view of the housing from Fig. 13 with an interchangeable cassette according to another embodiment of the invention; Fig. 24 that in Fig. 23 shown housing with interchangeable cassette in a front view; Fig. 25 a perspective view of the interchangeable cassette from Fig. 23; Fig. 26 a front view of the interchangeable cassette Fig. 25; Fig. 27 a rear view of the interchangeable cassette Fig. 25; Fig. 28 a perspective view of an outlet funnel for the Fig. 23 shown interchangeable cassette; Fig. 29 a front view of the outlet funnel Fig. 28; Fig. 30 a component group of the cutting mill from Fig. 1 in a front or end view after dismantling the housing door of the cutting mill, with a grinding material slide in a maximum raised position or in a grinding material filling position; Fig. 31 the front or end view of the component group Fig. 30 when lowering the grinding material slide; Fig. 32 the front or end view of the component group Fig. 30, wherein the grinding material slide is shown in a maximum lowered position or grinding material compression position; Fig. 33 a perspective view of the Fig. 30 shown grinding hopper; Fig. 34 a rear view of the grinding hopper from Fig. 33; Fig. 35 of the Fig. 33 shows the grinding material hopper after dismantling a rear wall of a hopper housing; Fig. 36 of the Fig. 34 shown grinding hopper after further disassembly of a back plate of the grinding hopper and Fig. 37 an embodiment of a grinding material slide for the grinding material hopper from Fig. 33 in a perspective view obliquely from the front.

[0091] Based on the Fig. 1 to 32, features and aspects of a cutting mill 1 for laboratory use, in particular designed as a tabletop device, as well as features and aspects of two embodiments of an interchangeable cassette 14 designed for use with the cutting mill 1 shown are explained below. The cutting mill 1 shown has a housing 2 and a drive motor 3 connected to the housing 2 with a drive shaft 4. A cutting rotor 5 with cutting blades 6 can be connected to the drive shaft 4 in a manner known per se for cutting and comminuting the material to be ground by shearing.

[0092] The cutting mill 1 further comprises a housing door 7 which is pivotally connected to the housing 2 and is opened by a Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 shown closed positions into one in Fig. 9. In the embodiment shown, the housing door 7 consists of a lower door section 8 and an upper door section 9, wherein both door sections 8, 9 can be rigidly connected to one another or wherein the housing door 7 can also be formed integrally with the door sections 8, 9. However, an embodiment in which the door sections 8, 9 are formed as separate door parts and are held on the housing 2 so as to be pivotable relative to one another and independently of one another is not excluded.

[0093] Not shown is the possibility of providing a safety switch with a door signaling contact to detect the proper closing of the housing door 7. In particular, mill operation may only be possible once the housing door 7 has reached a predetermined closing position.

[0094] At the front, a door cover 10 is firmly connected to the lower door section 8. The housing door 7 can be opened or closed by pulling or pushing the door cover 10. For simplified handling, a handle element can be formed on the door cover 10, for example in the form of a bent edge of the door cover 10 or a recessed grip, by which the door cover 10 can be grasped and pulled forward to open the housing door 7 or pushed toward the drive motor 3 to close the housing door 7.

[0095] The cutting mill 1 further comprises a grinding material hopper 11 or a grinding material hopper and a cyclone separator 12, which may have a quick-release fastener 13 for a sample vessel at the outlet from the housing 2.

[0096] The Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 show views of an assembly of the cutting mill from Fig. 1, after the housing door 7 has been removed.

[0097] As can be seen from the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, an interchangeable cassette 14 is inserted into the housing 2. The interchangeable cassette 14 forms a grinding chamber 15 and is designed for arranging the cutting rotor 5 with the cutting blades 6 in the grinding chamber 15. The interchangeable cassette 14 has a side wall 16 which radially delimits the grinding chamber 15 and forms a grinding chamber side wall ( Fig. 10). The side wall 16 extends axially in the direction of a rear wall 17 of the interchangeable cassette, which delimits the grinding chamber 15 in the axial direction on the motor side and forms a grinding chamber rear wall.

[0098] Stationary counterblades 18 are mounted on the inside of the side wall 16, which engage with the cutting blades 6 during the cutting and comminution of the material to be ground. The number of cutting blades 6 and counterblades 18 is not limited to the number shown in the exemplary embodiment.

[0099] The Fig. 10 to 12 show the interchangeable cassette 14 from the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. The side wall 16 of the interchangeable cassette 14 is interrupted in the area of ​​an upper cassette opening 19 and in the area of ​​a lower cassette opening 20, so that two side wall sections 21, 22 are formed.

[0100] Furthermore, a shaft passage opening 23 is provided in the rear wall 17 of the exchangeable cassette 14 forming the grinding chamber rear wall, through which the cutting rotor 5 can be driven by the drive shaft 4.

[0101] At the door-side outer edges, the side wall sections 21, 22 merge into two radially extending collar sections 24, 25.

[0102] In the Fig. 13 to 15, the housing 2 of the cutting mill 1 is shown. The housing 2 has a central recess or depression that forms a cassette receptacle 26 for the interchangeable cassette 14. This allows the interchangeable cassette 14 to be inserted manually and without tools into the cassette receptacle 26 via a front side 27 of the housing 2 after the housing door 7 has been manually swung open from the housing 2 via the handle section of the door cover 10 and thus moved into an open position. The open position of the housing door 7 is shown in Fig. 9. In Fig. 9 also shows two hinge parts 28, 29 with which the housing door 7 is pivotally held on the housing 2.

[0103] The interchangeable cassette 14 can be inserted into and removed from the cassette holder 26 without the use of tools. When inserted, the end faces 30, 31 of the collar sections 24, 25 of the interchangeable cassette 14 are slightly lowered relative to adjacent end faces 32 of the housing 2, but can also be aligned.

[0104] In the inserted state, the side wall 16 of the interchangeable cassette 14 extends in the axial direction of the drive shaft 4 and delimits the grinding chamber 16 in the radial direction, while the rear wall 17 of the interchangeable cassette 14 delimits the grinding chamber 15 on the motor side.

[0105] As can be seen from Fig. 10 and Fig. 12, the side wall 16 of the interchangeable cassette 14 forms radial bulges 33, so that pockets 34 are formed on the inside, which are provided for receiving and holding the counter knives 18. The counter knives 18 can be exchangeably or detachably attached to the interchangeable cassette 14 using appropriate locking and holding means. Furthermore, it is possible to provide setting and adjustment means in order to be able to set or finely adjust the counter knives to a desired cutting gap with the cutting knives 6.

[0106] Furthermore, it is possible for the side wall 16 of the interchangeable cassette 14 to form a radial connection geometry, in the embodiment shown in the form of the radial bulges 33, which can bear against a retaining geometry on a housing wall 35 of the housing 2 radially delimiting the interchangeable cassette receptacle 26 to form a positive connection in the circumferential direction. As can be seen from the Fig. 18 to 20, for example, an internal stop 36 connected to the housing wall 35 can be fastened, in particular detachably by screwing, wherein a spring means 37, for example a leaf spring, can be held on the stop 36, so that the interchangeable cassette 14, in the inserted state, rests against the housing wall 35 of the housing 2 without play in the circumferential direction due to the spring force of the spring means. When the interchangeable cassette 14 is inserted into the cassette receptacle 26, the spring force then causes the interchangeable cassette 14 to be rotated into a circumferential position in which the interchangeable cassette 14 rests against the housing 2 without play.

[0107] Preferably, however, it is provided that the interchangeable cassette 14, in the closed state of the housing door 7, is held in place by force transmission from the housing door 7 via a sealing element 38 arranged between the housing door 7 and the interchangeable cassette 14 (cf. Fig. 9) is pressed against an axial housing wall 39 of the housing 2, so that a positive connection in the circumferential direction is achieved solely by the compressive force transmitted to the interchangeable cassette 14 by the housing door 7. An additional anti-twist device in the form of a stop 36 on the inside of the housing wall 35 delimiting the cassette receptacle 26 is then unnecessary.

[0108] A central opening 39a is provided in the axial housing wall 39 of the exchangeable cassette ( Fig. 13 - 15).

[0109] On the housing wall 35 of the housing 2, which radially delimits the cassette holder 26, a step 40 is provided in some areas on the inner edges ( Fig. 14), whereby the interchangeable cassette 14 can be inserted into the cassette holder 26 and the end faces 30, 31 of the collar sections 24, 25 of the interchangeable cassette 14 do not protrude forwards relative to the end face 32 of the housing 2.

[0110] As can be seen from the Fig. 21 and Fig. 22, an axial connection geometry with an axial contact surface 41 for contacting a contact surface 42 on the housing wall 39 of the housing 2 axially delimiting the cassette receptacle 26 is formed on the rear wall 17 of the interchangeable cassette 14. Preferably, the interchangeable cassette 2 only contacts the housing 2 in the axial direction via the axial connection geometry, and not via the collar sections 24, 25 of the interchangeable cassette 14 and the steps 40 on the housing 2.

[0111] The connection geometry allows the interchangeable cassette 14 to be held at a distance from the housing 2 in the axial direction.

[0112] Preferably, the axial connection geometry on the rear wall 17 of the exchangeable cassette 14 is formed by an annular projection 43. It is understood that a corresponding connection geometry can also be provided on the axial housing wall 39 of the housing 2.

[0113] As can be seen from Fig. 9, a grinding chamber cover 44 is inserted into the lower door section 8 on the inside or motor side, which adjoins a shaft cover 45 inserted into the lower door section 8 and the upper door section 9 on the motor side.

[0114] Fig. 9 shows the sealing element 38, which encloses the shaft cover 45 and the grinding chamber cover 44 in the region of the lower door section 8. The radial distance of the sealing means 38 from the axis of rotation of the drive shaft 4 is selected such that the sealing means 38 comes into contact with the collar sections 24, 25 of the interchangeable cassette 14 when the housing door 7 is closed and, in the closed state, a sufficient clamping force can be transmitted to the interchangeable cassette 14 via the housing door 7 in order to press the interchangeable cassette 14 with the contact surface 41 on the rear wall 17 of the interchangeable cassette 14 against the contact surface 42 on the axial housing wall 39 of the housing 2 and thereby achieve a positive connection of the interchangeable cassette 14 in the circumferential direction of the cassette holder 26. The housing door 7 interacts with the sealing element 38 as a clamping means for applying a compressive and clamping force to the interchangeable cassette 14 in the axial direction to the drive motor 3.

[0115] As shown schematically in Fig. As shown in Figure 19, a sieve insert 46 can be releasably held on the inside of the side wall 16 of the interchangeable cassette 14. For this purpose, the side wall 16 can form a sieve seat to which the sieve insert 46 is held in a form-fitting and / or force-fitting manner. The sieve insert prevents coarser ground material components from escaping uncomminuted from the area of ​​the grinding chamber 15 through the lower cassette opening 20 and from being further crushed.

[0116] With reference to the Fig. 21 and Fig. 22, which show a cross-sectional view of the cutting mill 1, a cassette centering device for the interchangeable cassette 14 is described below by way of example. The cassette centering device is formed on the rear wall 17 of the interchangeable cassette 14 in the form of a radial contact surface 47 of the interchangeable cassette 14, which is centered on a radial centering surface 48 of an intermediate flange 49, which is connected to the housing 2 in a rotationally fixed manner and is coaxial with the drive shaft 4 of the drive motor 3. The centering surface 48 could in principle also be formed on the housing 2. The intermediate flange 49 provides a larger centering surface in the axial direction for the radial contact surface 47 of the interchangeable cassette 14, thus enabling highly precise centering.

[0117] The intermediate flange 49 serves to connect a motor housing 51 of the drive motor 3 to the housing 2. A motor flange 50 of the motor housing 51 is connected to the housing 2 in a rotationally fixed manner via the intermediate flange 49 and the drive motor 3 is held on the housing 2.

[0118] A shaft sleeve 52 is mounted on the drive shaft 4 as a receiving element for the cutting rotor 5. The torque is transmitted from the drive shaft 4 to the cutting rotor 5 via the shaft sleeve 52.

[0119] The interchangeable cassette 14 can be pushed onto the shaft sleeve 52 coaxially with the drive shaft 3. When the interchangeable cassette 14 is centered, the fit clearance between the interchangeable cassette 14 and the shaft sleeve 52 is greater than the fit clearance between the radial contact surface 47 of the interchangeable cassette 14 and the radial centering surface 48 of the intermediate flange 49. The interchangeable cassette 14 can be easily pulled out by hand from the centering seat formed on the intermediate flange 49. The minimum and maximum clearance between the interchangeable cassette 14 and the shaft sleeve 52 can be greater than the minimum and maximum clearance between the interchangeable cassette 14 and the intermediate flange 49.

[0120] In the embodiment shown, the cassette centering is formed by an annular centering extension 53, which is formed on the rear side of the rear wall 17 of the interchangeable cassette 14. The centering extension 53 has the radial contact surface 47 on its outer side. A centering opening, which is delimited by the centering surface 48, is provided in the center of the intermediate flange 49. The centering extension 53 can be pushed or inserted into the centering opening with a precise fit, at least in sections, over a predetermined insertion length. When inserted, the drive shaft 4 passes through the centering opening in the intermediate flange 49 and the shaft passage opening 23 of the interchangeable cassette 14. In the centered state, the centering extension 53 is then radially arranged between the intermediate flange 49 and the drive shaft 4 orthe shaft sleeve 52 connected to the drive shaft 4 and centered via the interacting contact surfaces on the radial outer side of the centering extension 53 and the radial inner side of the intermediate flange 49. This allows for very precise centering of the interchangeable cassette 4, either directly or indirectly, on the housing 2.

[0121] To seal the shaft passage opening 23, in particular to prevent comminuted ground material from reaching the bearings of the drive motor 3 via the area formed between the centering extension 53 and the adjacent shaft sleeve 52, the shaft passage opening 23 in the embodiment shown is sealed by a contact seal, in particular a radial shaft seal or an annular seal, further in particular by a felt seal 54. The felt seal 54 can be formed by an adapter with an inserted felt strip and effectively protects against the passage of finely comminuted ground material.

[0122] As can be seen from the Fig. 10 to 12, the interchangeable cassette 14 can, in a preferred embodiment, have a lower cassette opening 20 which is not arranged centrally below the shaft passage opening 23 and is open vertically downwards, but is arranged laterally offset to the shaft passage opening 23 and is open substantially horizontally to the side. This enables a lateral removal of the comminuted ground material from the grinding chamber 15, wherein the ground material is deflected on an inner surface 55 of the side wall section 21 of the interchangeable cassette 14 in the area below the shaft passage opening 23 from a radially outward flow direction into a horizontal flow direction and exits the interchangeable cassette 14 in a horizontal flow direction. This is shown in Fig. 10 is shown schematically by the arrows 56.

[0123] The side wall 16 of the Fig. The interchangeable cassette 14 shown in Figures 10 to 12 is closed in the vertical direction so that the ground material cannot be discharged in the direction of gravity.

[0124] When the exchangeable cassette 14 is inserted into the housing 2, the lower cassette opening 20 is located inside the housing 2, which is the case, for example, in the Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 9 is shown.

[0125] As can be seen from the Fig. 13 and Fig. 14, the housing 2 has a cyclone receptacle 57 formed by a further recess or depression in the housing 2 for receiving the cyclone separator 12. The interchangeable cassette 14 and the cyclone separator 12 are separate components and can be inserted into or removed from the respective receptacles 26, 57 independently of one another. Due to the structural separation of the interchangeable cassette 14 and cyclone separator 12, it is possible to insert the interchangeable cassette 14 into the cassette receptacle 26 independently of the cyclone separator 12 or to remove it from the cassette receptacle 26 in order to change the interchangeable cassette 14. The cyclone separator 12 can remain in the cyclone receptacle 57. In particular for cleaning purposes, it is advantageous to be able to remove the interchangeable cassette 14 from the housing 2 and reinsert it independently of the cyclone separator 12.

[0126] The one in the Fig. 3 and Fig. The cyclone separator 12 shown in Figure 4 can be inserted into the cyclone holder 57 and removed from the cyclone holder 57 via a front side of the housing 2 after opening the housing door 7, preferably without tools and / or independently of the interchangeable cassette 14.

[0127] The geometry of the cassette holder 26 is adapted to the outer geometry of the interchangeable cassette 14 in order to enable the insertion of the interchangeable cassette 14 into the cassette holder 26.

[0128] Likewise, the receiving geometry of the housing 2 in the area of ​​the cyclone receiving means 57 is adapted to the external dimensions and the external geometry of the cyclone separator 12 in order to enable the insertion of the cyclone separator 12 into the cyclone receiving means 57.

[0129] Preferably, the cyclone separator 12 can be fully inserted into the cyclone receptacle 57 in the axial direction and is then fully integrated into the housing 2 in a closed position of the housing door 7 in the axial direction.

[0130] The cyclone holder 57 and the cassette holder 26 are formed by a common recess or merge into one another. When the interchangeable cassette 14 is inserted, the lower cassette opening 20 of the Fig. 10 to 12, the embodiment of the interchangeable cassette 14 is aligned laterally to the cyclone receptacle 57, ie to the first receptacle area 58.

[0131] The cyclone receptacle 57 is formed by a recess or depression in the housing 2, which has a first, substantially horizontally extending first receptacle area 58 and a second, preferably substantially vertically extending second receptacle area 59. This is also shown in the Fig. 13 and Fig. 14. The first receiving area 58 merges into the second receiving area 59, and the second receiving area 59 opens into a lower housing opening 60 of the housing 2. The housing opening 60 is provided laterally offset from the central housing opening 39a or laterally offset from the axis of rotation of the drive shaft 4 on the underside of the housing 2.

[0132] The first receiving area 58 of the cyclone holder 57 serves to receive an inlet channel 62 with inlet opening 63 leading to a vortex chamber 61 of the cyclone separator 12 (cf. Fig. 8). The inlet opening 63 connects to the lower cassette opening 20 of the interchangeable cassette 14 in the flow direction of a grinding material air stream, which is sucked out of the grinding chamber 15 by the cyclone separator 12 via the lower cassette opening 20.

[0133] In the embodiment shown, the vortex chamber 61 is formed by a rotationally symmetrical upper part 65, which merges into a conical lower part 66 of the cyclone separator 12, which forms a separation chamber 67 and extends downwards in the second vertical receiving area 59 of the cyclone receptacle 57 beyond the housing opening 60 of the housing 2. The quick-release fastener 13 for a sample container is arranged at the end of the conical lower part 66 that protrudes from the housing 2 beyond the housing opening 60.

[0134] Furthermore, the second receiving area 59 of the cyclone receptacle 57 serves to receive an immersion tube 64 of the cyclone separator 12 extending vertically through the vortex chamber 61.

[0135] The inlet channel 62 is delimited by an upper channel wall 68, a lower channel wall 69, a rear channel wall 70 and a front channel wall 71. The channel walls 68 to 71 can be detachably connected to one another.

[0136] The immersion tube 64 ends at the bottom at the transition between the vortex chamber 61 and the separation chamber 66. At the top, the immersion tube 64 opens into a suction channel 73 of the housing 2 via a sealing element 72 at the outlet from the upper channel wall 68. The suction channel 73 opens into a connection opening 74 of the housing 2 for connection to a suction pipe of a suction device.

[0137] The rotationally symmetrical vortex chamber 61 creates a rotary flow when a ground material air stream is extracted by a suction device via the connection opening 74, with the ground material air stream being fed tangentially to the vortex chamber 61 via the inlet channel 62. In the vortex chamber 61, the ground material and air stream are then separated in the separation chamber 67, with the ground material being conveyed via the lower part 66 under the influence of gravity into a sample container held by the quick-release fastener 13.

[0138] It is understood that the cyclone or centrifugal separator 12 may also have a structural design that differs from the one shown.

[0139] When inserting the interchangeable cassette 14 and the cyclone separator 12 independently of one another, it is advantageous if the edge geometries of the interchangeable cassette 14 and the cyclone separator 12, which are adjacent to one another, are designed to be complementary to one another in such a way that the interchangeable cassette 14 and the cyclone separator 12 can be displaced relative to one another in the direction of the drive shaft 4 when inserted into the cassette holder (26) or into the cyclone holder (57). This allows for simple axial insertion and axial removal into or from the respective holder 26, 57 of the housing 2.

[0140] As can be seen in particular from Fig. 7, the interchangeable cassette 14 and the cyclone separator 12 are spaced apart from each other at adjacent edge geometries. This spacing ensures that forces that occur during cutting operation of the cutting mill 1 and can cause the interchangeable cassette 14 to move relative to the cyclone separator 12 cannot lead to unwanted contact between the edge geometries of the interchangeable cassette 14 and the cyclone separator 12.

[0141] By extracting a mixture of grinding material and air via the cyclone separator 12, grinding can be carried out in the grinding chamber 15 at a negative pressure level. A design with a circumferential gap 75 between the edge geometries of the interchangeable cassette 14 and the cyclone separator 12 (cf. Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B) and between the interchangeable cassette 14 and the housing 2 adjacent in the area of ​​the cassette opening 20 is suitable for sucking in infiltration air through the resulting gap 75. Infiltration air from the environment is then sucked into the inlet channel 62 of the cyclone separator 12 between the adjacent edge geometries of the interchangeable cassette 14 and the cyclone separator 12 and fed to the vortex chamber 61. This prevents the escape of ground material beyond the boundary area of ​​the adjacent edge geometries into the cassette receptacle 26 and the cyclone receptacle 57.

[0142] In the Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B schematically shows a gap 75 between the adjacent edge regions of the side wall sections 21, 22 and the rear wall 17 of the exchangeable cassette 14 on the one hand and the adjacent edge regions of the channel walls 68 to 71, which form the inlet channel 62 of the cyclone separator 12, on the other hand.

[0143] The spacing or the gap 75 formed between the exchangeable cassette 14 and the cyclone separator 2 extends - in particular with reference to the Fig. 7B - preferably along the entire extension length of the adjacent edge geometries of the interchangeable cassette 14 and cyclone separator 12 and in particular over the entire surface of the adjacent edge geometries.

[0144] The sealing between the housing door 7 and the exchangeable cassette 14 and the cyclone separator 12 is effected in the closed position of the housing door 7 via the sealing element 38 ( Fig. 9) that extends over the adjacent edge geometries of the exchangeable cassette 14 and the cyclone separator 12.

[0145] Furthermore, adjacent inner surfaces of the interchangeable cassette 14 and the cyclone separator 12 can be aligned when inserted into the housing 2 in order to avoid the agglomeration of comminuted grinding material on projections, edges or the like extending into the flow path of the extracted grinding material air stream.

[0146] In the Fig. 23 to 27, another embodiment of a removable cassette 14 is shown. Corresponding features of the removable cassette 14 shown in the preceding figures and described above and the following with reference to the Fig. 23 to 27 are marked with the same reference numerals.

[0147] The Fig. The interchangeable cassette 14 shown in Figures 23 to 27 has a lower cassette opening 20 for vertical downward discharge of the ground material. The ground material is discharged in the direction of gravity. The side wall 16 is radially closed, with the exception of the upwardly directed cassette opening 19 and the lower cassette opening 20.

[0148] As can be seen from a comparison of the Fig. 10 to 12 on the one hand and 25 to 27 on the other hand, both embodiments of the interchangeable cassette 14 have a matching external geometry, so that both interchangeable cassettes 14 can be inserted into the cassette holder 26 as required. The grinding material feed via the upper cassette opening 19 is effected in both embodiments of the interchangeable cassette 14 at an angle α to the perpendicular passing through the center of the shaft passage opening 23. This is shown schematically for both embodiments in the Fig. 11 and Fig. 26 shown.

[0149] In the Fig. 23 to 25, this has on the inner side a circular segment-shaped upper side wall profile and an adjoining trapezoidal lower side wall profile which merges into the lower cassette opening 20.

[0150] In the Fig. In the first embodiment of the interchangeable cassette 14 shown in Figures 10 to 12, the upper circular segment-shaped side wall profile merges into a lower horizontal side wall profile and into the cassette opening 20 oriented towards the side.

[0151] In the Fig. 13 to 15 it is shown that the housing 2 has an outlet funnel receptacle 77 formed by a further recess or depression in the housing 2 below the housing opening 39a. The outlet funnel receptacle 77 is provided for the insertion of an outlet funnel 78, which is inserted into the Fig. 28 and Fig. 29 is shown.

[0152] The cassette holder 26 and the outlet funnel holder 77 are formed by a common recess or depression in the housing 2 and merge into one another. In the inserted state, the lower grinding material outlet opening 20 of the Fig. 24 to 27 is aligned with the outlet funnel receptacle 77. The outlet funnel receptacle 77 opens into a further lower housing opening 79 of the housing 2, which is provided centrally to the axis of rotation of the drive shaft 4 below the housing opening 39a. This makes it possible to insert an interchangeable cassette 14 into the housing 2, if necessary, with a laterally arranged grinding material outlet opening 20 or also with a grinding material outlet opening 20 arranged at the bottom for vertical removal of the grinding material in the direction of gravity.

[0153] Not shown and not excluded is an embodiment of an interchangeable cassette 14 which has a lower grinding material outlet opening for a vertical removal of the grinding material in the direction of gravity and a lateral grinding material outlet opening for a lateral removal of the grinding material in cyclone operation, wherein a closure means can then be provided in order to close one of the two openings in each case depending on the removal of the grinding material in the direction of gravity or on the removal of the grinding material during suction by means of a cyclone.

[0154] On the inside, both side wall sections 21, 22 of the side wall 16 of the interchangeable cassette 14 can form a seat 80 for the inner edge of the outlet funnel 78. In the embodiment shown, the seat 80 is formed by a cutout of the collar sections 24, 25 of the side wall sections 21, 22 adjacent to the cassette opening 20.

[0155] The outlet funnel 77 is Fig. 28 and Fig. 29 formed by a truncated pyramid or truncated cone-shaped funnel inlet 81, which is connected to a funnel neck 82 via an intervention guard 83.

[0156] The upper side edges 84 of longitudinal side walls 85 of the funnel inlet 81 rest against the side wall sections 21, 22 of the exchange cassette 14 from below in the inserted state.

[0157] Preferably, the funnel inlet 81 lies unsealed against the side wall sections 21, 22 and the rear wall 17 of the interchangeable cassette 14 in the region of the side edges 84 of the longitudinal sides 85 and in the region of the longitudinal edge 89 of a rear wall 90 of the funnel inlet 81.

[0158] The connection geometries of the interchangeable cassette 14 and the outlet funnel 78 are selected such that the crushed material can exit unhindered from the lower cassette opening 20 into the funnel inlet 81. For this purpose, the adjacent inner surfaces of the interchangeable cassette 14 and the outlet funnel 78 can be aligned and / or an expansion of the clear flow cross-section is provided at the transition from the interchangeable cassette 14 to the outlet funnel 78.

[0159] The anti-tamper device 83 can be detachably attached to the housing 2, for example, by screwing it from below. When attached, the anti-tamper device 83, which can be formed by two retaining and fastening tabs 87 extending transversely to the direction of gravity, closes the further housing opening 79 of the housing 2 adjacent to the funnel neck 2. The anti-tamper device 83 prevents any access to the rotor area via the lower housing opening 79, with the outlet funnel 78 fulfilling a safety function.

[0160] According to the Fig. 23 and Fig. 24, the size and geometry of the outlet funnel receptacle 77 in the housing 2 is selected such that the funnel inlet 81, when the outlet funnel 78 is inserted or mounted, is arranged within the housing 2 and abuts radially against the interchangeable cassette 14. The funnel neck 82 is preferably arranged outside the housing 2 and has an internal inlet opening 88 for the ground material, through which the ground material then enters the funnel neck 82 and exits the housing 2. The funnel neck 82 can have a holding device for holding a sample vessel at its free end.

[0161] The outlet funnel 78 is preferably open at its front. A front end wall of the funnel inlet 81 is formed by the inside of the housing door 7 when the housing door 7 is in the closed position.

[0162] Furthermore, the complementary edge geometries of the interchangeable cassette 14 and the outlet funnel 78 and the receiving geometries of the cassette receptacle 26 and the outlet funnel receptacle 77 enable the interchangeable cassette 14 and the outlet funnel 78 to be inserted into the housing 2 or removed from the housing 2 independently of one another. The outlet funnel 78 and the interchangeable cassette 14 can be inserted into or removed from the respective receptacle 26, 77 via a front side of the housing 2 with the housing door 7 open. To simplify handling, the interchangeable cassette 14 and the outlet funnel 78 are preferably displaceable relative to one another in the direction of the drive shaft 4 and can thus be inserted into the respective receptacle 26, 77 one after the other or removed from the respective receptacle 26, 77.

[0163] The Fig. 10 and Fig. 25 show that the side wall sections 21, 22 of the interchangeable cassette 14 in the inlet area of ​​the upper cassette opening 19 can be designed in a straight line and run parallel to each other, so that a grinding material inlet 91 is created for the grinding material fed to the grinding chamber 15 and to be comminuted. The grinding material inlet 91 is preferably oriented obliquely to the vertical, which is Fig. 11 and Fig. 26 is schematically shown by the angle α. The grinding material is fed to the cutting rotor 5 at an angle from above and laterally offset from the rotational axis of the cutting rotor 5.

[0164] Preferably, in both embodiments shown, the interchangeable cassette 14 is held in the cassette holder 26 in a form-fitting manner solely due to the contact pressure transmitted from the housing door 7.

[0165] Furthermore, preferably no connecting, locking, and / or arresting means are provided that must be (manually) actuated to insert the cassette into the cassette holder and / or to remove the cassette from the cassette holder. This ensures easy handling of the interchangeable cassette 14 when inserting and removing it from the housing 2.

[0166] On the housing 2, above the cassette holder 26, a shaft holder 92 can be provided for at least partially inserting a material feed shaft 93 of the grinding material hopper 11 into the housing 2 and for feeding grinding material into the grinding chamber 15. Particular attention is drawn to the Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 13, Fig. 14.

[0167] The shaft receptacle 92 is in turn formed by a recess or depression in the housing 2, which forms a receiving area for the material feed shaft 93, inclined to the direction of gravity, and opens into an upper housing opening 94 of the housing 2. The upper housing opening 94 is preferably arranged laterally offset from the axis of rotation of the drive shaft 4.

[0168] The cassette holder 26 and the grinding material holder 92 are formed by a common, continuous and uninterrupted recess in the housing 2.

[0169] When the interchangeable cassette 14 is inserted, the upper cassette opening 19 of the interchangeable cassette 14 is aligned with the shaft receptacle 92 to enable the grinding material to be fed to the cutting rotor 5. Thus, in the embodiment shown, no frontal or end-side feeding of the grinding material to the rotor 5 is provided.

[0170] In the embodiment shown, the material feed chute 93 is formed by a baffle wall 95, an opposite side wall 96 and a rear wall 97. The side wall 96 forms a filling slope 99 at the junction area of ​​a material filling chute 98 into the material feed chute 93.

[0171] The part of the side wall 96 forming the filling slope 99 delimits the material filling chute 98 in the vertical downward direction. The material filling chute 98 and the material feed chute 93 overlap in the inlet area and merge into one another, with a grinding material slide 100 guided in the material feed chute 93 for longitudinal adjustment.

[0172] For automatically locking the grinding material slide 100 in a lowered position, a locking means 101 is provided ( Fig. 8). Above the junction area of ​​the material filling chute 98 into the material feed chute 93, an upper side wall 102 is provided, which laterally delimits the material feed chute 93 above the junction area.

[0173] The front sides of the material feed chute 93 and the material filling chute 98 are open.

[0174] Front shaft walls of the product feed shaft 93 and the product filling shaft 98 can be formed at least partially, preferably at least substantially completely, on the housing door 7. In the closed position, with the product feed shaft 93 inserted into the shaft receptacle 92, the housing door 7 then forms the front shaft walls at least partially and closes the product feed shaft 93 and the product filling shaft 98 at least partially, preferably completely. By opening the housing door 7, the product feed shaft 93 and the product filling shaft 96 are released for external access in the open position of the housing door 7, for example for cleaning purposes. In the closed position of the housing door 7, the housing door 7 forms the front or end shaft walls of the product feed shaft 93 and the product filling shaft 96. The housing door 7 closes orpreferably essentially completely covers the material feed chute 93 and the material filling chute 98 in the closed position of the housing door 7.

[0175] As a result, the material feed chute 93 and the material filling chute 98 are not designed to be closed all the way around, but are designed to be open at least partially, preferably completely, at the front. The cut-out wall section at the front is formed by the housing door 7 in the closed position of the housing door 7. In the open position of the housing door 7, access to the interior of the chutes 93, 98 is thus possible, in particular access to the lock flap 104. This will be described in detail below.

[0176] In the embodiment of the cutting mill 1 shown, the front shaft wall of the material feed shaft 93 is formed in the closed state of the housing door 7 by the Fig. 9 shown door insert 45, which may be made of an abrasion-resistant material.

[0177] To seal the material feed chute 93 and the material filling chute 98 against the housing door 7, the Fig. 9, which extends on the side of the baffle 95 essentially over the entire height of the baffle 95 and on the opposite side follows the course of the side wall 96. When the housing door 7 is closed, the sealing element 38 comes into contact with the baffle 95 and the side wall 96.

[0178] For grinding, the material to be ground is added via the material filling chute 98 and the material slide 100 is raised so that a filling opening 103, at which the material filling chute 98 opens into the material feed chute 93, is released (Fig. 8). The ground material then enters the grinding chamber 15 and is propelled outward again by the rotating cutting blades 6. The ground material slide 100 is then moved downward and secured there, preferably with the locking means 101. This reduces the grinding chamber and moves the ground material toward the rotating cutting blades 6 of the cutting rotor 5 until it is carried along and cut by the counter blades 18.

[0179] Furthermore, a lock flap 104 can be provided, which closes the material feed shaft 93 in the raised state of the grinding material slide 100, such as in Fig. 8, and thus ensures that manual intervention in the material feed shaft 93 is not possible when the grinding material slide 100 is raised.

[0180] When the material feed chute 93 is inserted into the chute receptacle 92, the material feed chute 93 is oriented obliquely to the direction of gravity with respect to its central longitudinal axis. This results in an advantageous supply of ground material to the cutting rotor 5 during grinding operation.

[0181] As can be seen in particular from the Fig. 6A and Fig. 6B, the exchange cassette 14 and the material feed shaft 93 of the grinding material hopper 11 are completely spaced apart from each other at all adjacent edge geometries.

[0182] The material feed chute 93 and the interchangeable cassette 14 are spaced apart from each other at opposite edge regions. Preferably, the material feed chute 93 and the interchangeable cassette 14 are spaced apart from each other across all adjacent edge geometries.

[0183] In the Fig. 6A and Fig. 6B schematically shows a gap 105 between the adjacent edge regions of the side wall sections 21, 22 and the rear wall 17 of the interchangeable cassette 14, on the one hand, and the adjacent edge regions of the impact wall 95, the side wall 96, and the rear wall 97 of the material feed chute 93. If, during grinding operation with the cyclone separator 12, a negative pressure level is generated in the region of the grinding chamber 15, this leads to infiltration of ambient air through the chute receptacle 92 via the gap 105 formed between the adjacent edge geometries of the material feed chute 93 and the interchangeable cassette 14, thus preventing the escape of material to be ground via the adjacent edge geometries.

[0184] The spacing or the gap 105 formed between the exchange cassette 14 and the material feed shaft 93 extends - in particular with reference to the Fig. 6B - preferably along the entire extension length of the adjacent edge geometries of the exchange cassette 14 and the material feed shaft 93 and in particular over the entire surface of the adjacent edge geometries.

[0185] In particular, adjacent edge geometries of the interchangeable cassette 14 and the material feed chute 93 can form a labyrinth geometry. These edge geometries can form a non-contact gap seal. The sealing effect is then based on an extension of the flow path, which significantly increases the flow resistance. The path extension is achieved by an interlocking or "intermeshing" of complementary connecting geometries in the edge areas of the interchangeable cassette 14 and the material feed chute 93. The formation of a labyrinth geometry between adjacent edge geometries further impedes the escape of ground material via the adjacent edge geometries.

[0186] The grinding material hopper 11, which is designed as a separate assembly from the cutting mill 1, is preferably connected to the cutting mill 1 by inserting the material feed chute 93 into the chute receptacle 92 at the front or axially. Locking means 124, such as screws, can be provided to connect a chute housing 106 of the grinding material hopper 11 to the housing 2 in a form-fitting and / or force-fitting manner. The grinding material hopper 11 is connected to the cutting mill 1 in particular such that the grinding material hopper with the material feed chute 93 is inserted into the chute receptacle 92 at the front or axially when the housing door 7 of the housing 2 is open. During insertion, the material feed chute 93 is pushed in the axial direction or towards the drive motor 3 into the complementary connection geometry of the housing 2 until the rear side of the material feed chute 93 comes to rest against a rear wall of the housing 2.

[0187] When the material feed shaft 93 is inserted into the shaft receptacle 92, the hopper housing 106 of the grinding material hopper 11 can then stand on the housing 2.

[0188] Particularly preferably, the interchangeable cassette 14 and the material feed chute 93 can be inserted into the housing 2 and / or removed from the housing 2 independently of one another. In particular, the interchangeable cassette 14 can be inserted into the cassette receptacle 26 independently of the material feed chute 93 and / or removed from the cassette receptacle 26. The cassette 14 can be inserted into the cassette receptacle 26 in the drive shaft direction relative to the material feed chute 93 inserted into the chute receptacle 92. A corresponding design of the connection geometries of the interchangeable cassette 14 and the material feed chute 93 of the grinding material hopper is provided for this purpose. The ability to remove the interchangeable cassette 14 from the housing 2 and insert it into the housing 2 independently of the grinding material hopper 11 simplifies cassette changing.

[0189] Particularly preferably, the material feed shaft 93 can be inserted into the shaft receptacle 92 and / or removed from the shaft receptacle 92 without tools.

[0190] When the interchangeable cassette 14 and the material feed chute 93 are inserted, the adjacent inner surfaces of both components can be aligned and / or an expansion of the flow cross-section can be provided at the transition between the inner surfaces of the material feed chute 93 and the interchangeable cassette 14. This prevents particle agglomerations in the transition area of ​​the inner surfaces due to edges or projections or the like protruding into the flow cross-section.

[0191] It is understood that the above-mentioned embodiments can also be provided in a cutting mill 1 with an interchangeable cassette 14, which is fixed in the cassette holder 26 in a tool-related manner, for example by means of a screw connection.

[0192] Based on the Fig. 30 to 32 the structure and function of the lock flap 104 is explained in more detail.

[0193] The lock flap 104 is arranged so as to be pivotable about a flap joint 107 to the filling opening 3 or the inlet opening of the material filling chute 98 into the material feed chute 93. As can be seen from the Fig. 30 to 32, the hopper housing 106 has two housing panels 108, 109 on the front or end side, which panel the material feed chute 93 and the material filling chute 98 laterally and towards the end or front side of the housing 2.

[0194] Fig. 30 shows the position of the lock flap 104 in a maximum raised position of the grinding material slide 100 or in a grinding material filling position in which the material feed shaft 93 in the transition area to the exchange cassette 14 is closed by the lock flap 104.

[0195] Fig. 31 shows the direction of movement of the lock flap 104 when lowering the grinding material slide 100 schematically by the arrows 110, 111.

[0196] In Fig. 32, the grinding material slide 100 is shown in the maximum lowered position in which the grinding material slide 100 has reached a grinding material compaction position.

[0197] The flap joint 107 is provided in the area of ​​the inlet or filling opening 103. In the grinding material filling position of the grinding material slide 100, the material feed shaft 93 is closed by an internal (first) flap section 112 of the lock flap 104. This is shown in Fig. 30 shown.

[0198] According to Fig. 32, the inlet opening from the material filling chute 98 into the material feed chute 93 is closed in the lowered position of the grinding material slide 100 by an outer (second) flap section 113 adjacent to the material filling chute 98 and extending upwards from the flap joint 107 in the lowered position of the grinding material slide 100. The flap sections 112, 113 then extend, with respect to the longitudinal axis, essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the grinding material slide 100 and bear laterally against the grinding material slide 100.

[0199] In the maximally lowered position of the grinding material slide 100, the lock flap 104 thus prevents access via the material filling chute 98 and the filling opening 103 into the material feed chute 93, namely by the outer (second) flap section 113. In the raised position of the grinding material slide, on the other hand, the inner (first) flap section 112 ensures effective splash-back protection for grinding material from the grinding chamber 15.

[0200] Fig. 33 shows the grinding material hopper 11 in a perspective view obliquely from the front and Fig. 34 the grinding material hopper 11 in a perspective view diagonally from behind. Fig. 35 and Fig. 36 show the funnel housing 106 after dismantling a back wall 136 ( Fig. 34).

[0201] In the embodiment shown, the longitudinal movement of the grinding material slide 100 and the pivoting movement of the lock flap 104 are preferably kinematically coupled, in particular via a Fig. 35 and Fig. 36 shows the coupling rod with coupling plates 114 to 118. The first coupling plate 114 is connected or coupled to the flap joint 107. A guide rod 119 is passed through the last coupling plate 118, which is connected at the lower end to a connecting part 120 of the material feed chute 93 and at the upper end to the grinding material slide 100. A stop 121 is moved together with the grinding material slide 100 when the grinding material slide 100 is lowered ( Fig. 36), which interacts with the last coupling plate 118 when the grinding material slide 100 is lowered sufficiently. An adjustment movement of the grinding material slide 100 then automatically leads to an adjustment movement of the lock flap 104 into the closed position.

[0202] In particular, a kinematic coupling of the grinding material slide 100 and the lock flap 104 is provided in such a way that a longitudinal movement of the grinding material slide 100 in the direction of the grinding chamber 15 leads to a pivoting movement of the lock flap 104 even before the grinding material slide 100 and the lock flap 104 come into direct contact.

[0203] When the housing door 7 of the housing 2 is open, the lock flap can be removed from the front of the grinding material hopper 11, preferably without the use of tools. This simplifies cleaning of the grinding material hopper 11 in the area of ​​the material feed chute 93 and the material filling chute 98 when the lock flap 104 is removed from the grinding material hopper 11. Furthermore, the lock flap 104 can also be easily cleaned in this way.

[0204] In order to ensure that the lock flap 104 has reached a predetermined insertion position when reinserting the lock flap 104 by sliding it onto the flap joint 107, a safety switch 123 can be provided as part of a detection unit to detect a predetermined insertion position of the lock flap in the grinding material hopper 11. As can be seen from Fig. 35, a back plate 122 is provided on the rear side of the grinding material hopper 11, to which the safety switch 123 is mounted. The lock flap 104 presses axially against a safety element of the safety switch 123, which closes a safety circuit. This enables a display or output such that the reaching of a predetermined insertion position of the lock flap 104 has been detected.

[0205] In the Fig. 34 to 36 also show locking means 124 in the form of screws, with which the hopper housing 6 can be connected at the top to the housing 2 of the cutting mill 1. Bores 125 in the lower connecting part 120 of the material feed shaft 93 are provided for fastening the hopper housing 106 to the housing 2 in the area of ​​the shaft receptacle 92 by means of fastening screws (not shown).

[0206] As can be seen from the Fig. 35 and Fig. 36, a gas pressure spring 126 can be provided to apply an actuating force to the grinding material slide 100, which causes the grinding material slide 100 to be automatically moved from a lowered position to the maximum raised position. The gas pressure spring is held by the coupling plate 117 and the back plate 122.

[0207] The slide is pushed down by hand against the actuating force, compacts the grinding chamber, and when the force transmission is stopped by hand, automatically returns to the maximum raised position. In this standard position, the material feed chute 93 is then, as shown in Fig. 30, closed by the lock flap 104 against splashing back of grinding material from the grinding chamber 15.

[0208] In Fig. 37 shows an embodiment of a grinding material slide 100 which has at its lower end an engagement geometry 127 in the form of tooth-, serrated- or prong-shaped projections 128 which, when the grinding material slide 100 is lowered in the material feed shaft 93, engage with an engagement geometry 129 with complementarily formed tooth-, serrated- or prong-shaped projections 130 on the end of the lock flap 104 facing the material feed shaft 93 (cf. Fig. 33) to strip or comb out agglomerations of grinding material on the top and / or bottom of the lock flap 4. A handle 135 can be attached to the grinding material slide 100, as shown in Fig. 33 is shown.

[0209] As can be seen from Fig. 33, a scraper 131 can be held and / or formed on the side wall 96 of the grinding material hopper 11 delimiting the material feed shaft 93, which scraper has an engagement geometry 132 complementary to the engagement geometry 129 of the lock flap 104 in the form of complementarily formed teeth, prongs or prong-like projections 133.

[0210] As can be seen in particular from Fig. 32, the lower outer edge of the grinding material slide 100 is curved, so that a circular segment-shaped inner contour of the grinding chamber 15 is formed when the grinding material slide 100 has been brought into its maximum lowered position.

[0211] As it turns out Fig. 33 schematically shows, a purge air channel and / or purge air gap can be formed in the area below the flap joint 107 and / or from the underside of the lock flap 104. The purge air channel and / or purge air gap is provided for sucking in purge air via the area between the flap joint 107 or the lock flap 104 and a section of the side wall 96 that delimits the material filling chute 98 at the bottom, so that the deposition or agglomeration of ground material in the area of ​​the flap joint 107, in particular by splashing back from the grinding chamber 15 into the area of ​​the flap joint 107, can be prevented. This is shown in Fig. 33 shown by the arrows 134. List of reference symbols: 1 cutting mill 2 housings 3 Drive motor 4 drive shaft 5 Cutting rotor 6 cutting blades 7 Housing door 8 lower door section 9 upper door section 10 Door cover 11 grinding hopper 12 cyclone separators 13 Quick release 14 interchangeable cassettes 15 Grinding chamber 16 Side wall 17 Rear wall 18 counter knives 19 Cassette opening 20 cassette opening 21 Side wall section 22 Side wall section 23 Shaft passage opening 24 collar section 25 collar section 26 cassette recording 27 Front 28 Joint part 29 Joint part 30 frontal area 31 Frontal surface 32 frontal area 33 bulge 34 bag 35 Housing wall 36 stop 37 spring means 38 Sealing element 39 Housing wall 39a Opening 40 gradations 41 contact surface 42 contact surface 43 lead 44 Grinding chamber cover 45 Manhole cover 46 Sieve insert 47 contact surface 48 Centering surface 49 Intermediate flange 50 Motor flange 51 Engine housing 52 Shaft sleeve 53 Centring process 54 Felt seal 55 interior surface 56 Arrow 57 Cyclone recording 58 Recording area 59 Recording area 60 housing opening 61 Vortex chamber 62 Inlet channel 63 Inlet opening 64 dip tube 65 top 66 Lower part 67 Separation chamber 68 Canal wall 69 Canal wall 70 canal wall 71 Canal wall 72 Sealing element 73 Suction channel 74 Connection opening 75 gap 76 Sealing element 77 Outlet funnel holder 78 outlet funnel 79 Housing opening 80 seats 81 funnel inlet 82 funnel neck 83 Protection against interference 84 margin 85 long side 86 Longitudinal edge 87 tab 88 Entrance opening 89 Longitudinal edge 90 rear wall 91 Grinding material inlet 92 shaft recording 93 Material feed chute 94 Housing opening 95 impact wall 96 side wall 97 Rear wall 98 Goods filling chute 99 filling slope 100 grinding material slides 101 locking devices 102 side wall 103 Filling opening 104 Lock flap 105 gap 106 funnel housing 107 flap joint 108 Housing cover 109 Housing cover 110 Arrow 111 Arrow 112 flap section 113 flap section 114 coupling plate 115 coupling plate 116 coupling plate 117 Coupling plate 118 coupling plate 119 Guide rod 120 connecting part 121 stop 122 back plate 123 safety switches 124 locking devices 125 bore 126 gas spring 127 Engagement geometry 128 lead 129 Engagement geometry 130 lead 131 scrapers 132 engagement geometry 133 lead 134 Arrow 135 handle 136 rear wall QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 29702876 U1

[0046]

Claims

[1] Laboratory mill, in particular a cutting mill (1) for laboratory use, further in particular a table cutting mill, comprising a housing (2) and a drive motor (3) connected to the housing (2) with a drive shaft (4), wherein a grinding tool, in particular a cutting rotor (5) with at least one cutting blade (6), can be connected to the drive shaft (4), in particular for cutting and comminuting material to be ground by shearing action, comprising a grinding chamber (15) provided in the housing (2) for arranging the grinding tool in the grinding chamber (15) and comprising a material to be ground hopper (11) which has a material feed shaft (93) for feeding the material to be ground to the grinding chamber (15), characterized by that a shaft receptacle (92) formed by a recess or gap and / or depression in the housing (2) is provided for the material feed shaft (93) and that the material feed shaft (93) is inserted at least partially into the shaft receptacle (92). [2] Laboratory mill according to claim 1, characterized bythat the material feed shaft (93) can be inserted into the shaft receptacle (92) via a front or end face of the housing (2). [3] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims 1 or 2, characterized by that the material feed shaft (93) can be inserted into the shaft receptacle (92) and / or removed from the shaft receptacle (92) without tools. [4] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a housing door (7) is provided which is pivotably held on the housing (2) and that the material feed shaft (93) can only be inserted into the shaft receptacle (92) when the housing door (7) is in an open position. [5] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the grinding material hopper (11) is designed as a separate assembly for detachable attachment to and / or with the housing (2). [6] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat at least one connecting means is provided for the positive and / or non-positive connection of the grinding material hopper (11) to the housing (2). [7] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a grinding chamber rear wall and a grinding chamber side wall are formed on an exchangeable cassette (14) and that in the housing (2) a cassette receptacle (26) formed by a recess or gap and / or depression in the housing (2) is provided for receiving the cassette (14), wherein the cassette (14) is inserted into the cassette receptacle (26) in particular in a tool-free manner so that it can be exchanged. [8] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the material feed chute (93) and the cassette (14) have geometrically complementary edge geometries at opposite edge regions. [9] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the cassette (14) can be inserted into the cassette holder (6) and / or removed from the cassette holder (26) independently of the material feed shaft (93). [10] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the cassette (14) can be inserted into the cassette holder (92) in the drive shaft direction relative to the material feed shaft (93) inserted into the shaft holder (92). [11] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the material feed chute (93) and the cassette (14) are spaced apart from each other at opposite edge regions. [12] Laboratory mill, in particular according to one of the preceding claims, in particular a cutting mill (1) for laboratory use, further in particular a table cutting mill, comprising a housing (2) and a drive motor (3) connected to the housing (2) with a drive shaft (4), wherein a grinding tool, in particular a cutting rotor (5) with at least one cutting blade (6), can be connected to the drive shaft (4), in particular for cutting and comminuting material to be ground by shearing action, with a grinding chamber (15) provided in the housing (2) for arranging the grinding tool in the grinding chamber (15) and with a material to be ground hopper (11) which has a material feed shaft (93) for feeding the material to be ground to the grinding chamber (15), characterized bythat a housing door (7) is provided which is movable, in particular pivotable, from an open position to a closed position relative to the housing (2), and that the grinding material hopper (11) has an openable shaft wall, the shaft wall being formed by the housing door (7) when the housing door (7) is in the closed position. [13] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a frontal shaft wall of the material feed shaft (93) and, preferably, a frontal shaft wall of a material filling shaft (98) of the grinding material hopper (11) opening into the material feed shaft (93) is formed by the housing door (7) when the housing door (7) is in the closed position. [14] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the housing door (7) preferably substantially completely closes the material feed chute (93) and, preferably, the material filling chute (98) in the closed position. [15] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the housing door (7) in the closed position rests against the material feed chute (93) and, preferably, the material filling chute (98) via at least one sealing element (38). [16] Laboratory mill, in particular according to one of the preceding claims, in particular a cutting mill (1) for laboratory use, further in particular a table cutting mill, comprising a housing (2) and a drive motor (3) connected to the housing (2) with a drive shaft (4), wherein a grinding tool, in particular a cutting rotor (5) with at least one cutting blade (6), can be connected to the drive shaft (4), in particular for cutting and comminuting material to be ground by shearing action, with a grinding chamber (15) provided in the housing (2) for arranging the grinding tool in the grinding chamber (15) and with a material to be ground hopper (11) which has a material feed shaft (93) for feeding the material to be ground to the grinding chamber (15), characterized bythat in the material feed chute (93) a grinding material slide (100) is guided so as to be longitudinally movable between a raised position and a lowered position and that a lock flap (104) is provided, in particular to close the material feed chute (93) to the grinding chamber (15) when the grinding material slide (100) is in the raised position. [17] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the grinding material hopper (11) has a material filling shaft (98) opening into the material feed shaft (93) and that the lock flap (104) is arranged so as to be pivotable about a flap joint (107) to the opening (103) of the material filling shaft (98) in the material feed shaft (93). [18] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the flap joint (104) is arranged in the region of the inlet opening (103). [19] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the material feed chute (93) is closed in a raised position of the grinding material slide (100) by a flap section (112) of the lock flap (104) adjacent to the material feed chute (93) and, preferably, extending from the flap joint (104) into the material feed chute (93). [20] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the inlet opening (103) is closed in a lowered position of the grinding material slide (100) by a flap section (113) adjacent to the material filling shaft (98) and, preferably, in the lowered position of the grinding material slide (100) extending upwards from the flap joint (104). [21] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the flap section (112) adjacent to the material feed chute (93) and / or the flap section (113) of the lock flap (104) adjacent to the material filling chute (98) are, in the lowered position of the grinding material slide (93), at least partially, preferably completely, aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the grinding material slide (93) and / or bear laterally against the grinding material slide (93). [22] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the longitudinal movement of the grinding material slide (93) and the pivoting movement of the lock flap (104) are kinematically coupled, in particular via a coupling rod. [23] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat a kinematic coupling of the grinding material slide (93) and the lock flap (104) is provided in such a way that a longitudinal movement of the grinding material slide (93) in the direction of the grinding chamber (15) leads to a pivoting movement of the lock flap (104) even before the grinding material slide (93) and the lock flap (104) come into direct contact. [24] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a purge air channel and / or purge air gap is formed below the flap joint (107) and / or on the underside of the lock flap (104). [25] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the grinding material hopper (11) has an openable shaft wall and that the lock flap (104) can preferably be removed from the grinding material hopper (11) without tools when the openable shaft wall is in an open position. [26] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat complementary engagement geometries with teeth, prongs or tines are provided on the grinding material slide (100), the lock flap (104) and / or a scraper (131) arranged in the material feed shaft, wherein the engagement geometries come into mutual engagement when the grinding material slide is lowered in the material feed shaft. [27] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a detection unit is provided to detect a predetermined insertion position of the lock flap (104) in the grinding material hopper (11). [28] Laboratory mill, in particular according to one of the preceding claims, in particular a cutting mill (1) for laboratory use, further in particular a table cutting mill, comprising a housing (2) and a drive motor (3) connected to the housing (2) with a drive shaft (4), wherein a grinding tool, in particular a cutting rotor (5) with at least one cutting blade (6), can be connected to the drive shaft (4), in particular for cutting and comminuting material by shearing action, with a grinding chamber (15) provided in the housing (2) for arranging the grinding tool in the grinding chamber (15) and with a material feed hopper (11) having a material feed shaft (93) for feeding the material to the grinding chamber (15), characterized byin that a grinding material slide (100) is guided in the material feed shaft (93) so as to be longitudinally movable between a raised position and a lowered position, wherein the grinding material slide (100) is subjected to an actuating force for the automatic adjustment movement of the grinding material slide (100) from the lowered position into the raised position, in particular into a maximum raised position. [29] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a spring means, in particular a gas pressure spring (126), is provided to generate the actuating force. [30] Laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a locking means (101) is provided for preferably automatically locking the grinding material slide (100) in the lowered position against the actuating force. [31] Grinding material hopper (11) with a material feed shaft (93) for feeding the grinding material to the grinding chamber (15) of a laboratory mill according to one of the preceding claims and / or having features of a grinding material hopper (11) according to one of the preceding claims.

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