• Wet, dry, or cryogrinding
• Accepts a variety of tubes, plates, and jars
• Rapid cell lysis for extraction of DNA, RNA, and proteins in plates and microtubes
• Ideal for standardization of QuEChERS - increasing recovery and reproducibility

The BeadBlaster 96 is an extremely versatile ball mill homogenizer that has applications in both research and analytical laboratories. Microplates and tubes up to 50ml are accepted in adapters. Jars and balls in a variety of materials can also be used to grind samples.

The BeadBlaster 96 requires no special training or installation. Jars and adapters are easily loaded into the locking sample holders. Setting operating parameters is simple thanks to the touch screen command center.

The control center for all operations is the unit’s large touch screen. Speed, run time, pause time, and number of cycles are all set and controlled digitally. Nine programs can be stored and recalled from memory.

Inside the BeadBlaster 96’s housing is a powerful, brushless motor. This motor drives the arced shaking motion that quickly grinds and homogenizes samples at speeds up to 1800rpm. The motor is quiet, maintenance-free, and will provide a long service life.

The heavy-duty safety cover opens upward for easy access. The see-through, wrap-around design allows for visualization of the samples, while the thick acrylic helps to reduce noise levels. The BeadBlaster 96 will not operate without the cover properly in place. Percent of the allowable load is shown on the display and a safety switch stops the operation of the unit in the case of an overload.

Sample prep is the first step of many applications, whether they be research or analytical. Nearly any type of sample can be processed in the BeadBlaster 96. Biological samples can be homogenized in buffer using disposable containers from microplates to 50ml tubes. QuEChERS tubes can be processed eight at a time. Environmental samples, plants, insects, forensic samples, minerals, ores, and many others can be processed dry in jars with large grinding beads. Cryogrinding in jars expands the use of the BeadBlaster 96 to extra hard, fibrous, or sticky samples that are easier to break down when frozen.

Samples can be homogenized to recover nucleic acids, proteins, and metabolites in 96 well plates. Two deep well plates can be processed at one time for a total sample capacity of 192. Benchmark offers plates prefilled with one 4mm stainless steel ball in each well as well as empty 2ml deep well plates, EVA mat caps, and additional sizes of stainless-steel balls. Ball droppers (2.8, 4, and 5mm sizes) making filling plates easy. Homogenization in microplates requires the microplate adapter.

Like the microtube homogenizers in the Benchmark line, the BeadBlaster 96 can process various types of samples in 2ml tubes. Prefilled tubes and bulk grinding media are available for homogenizing microorganisms to animal and plant tissues and small insects. Maximum 2ml tube capacity is 64.

The 50ml tube adapter expands the use of the BeadBlaster 96 to larger samples and cultures that cannot be processed in a microtube homogenizer. This adapter is also useful for QuEChERS, taking the place of hand-shaking samples. Ceramic homogenizers can be added to QuEChERS tubes to keep samples evenly mixed. The 50 ml tubes and ceramic homogenizers are also useful for breaking down plant samples, such as cannabis/hemp, or mashing fruit and vegetable samples. Eight 50ml tubes can be processed in the BeadBlaster 96 at one time.

Different materials have different grinding requirements. Very hard samples require a jar and grinding balls that are just as hard or harder for effective sample preparation. Some samples are easily contaminated and require metal-free or inert grinding materials. Benchmark offers a variety of jars and balls to meet these differing needs. All of the jars feature threaded closures for leakproof performance with both solids and liquids.

Stainless steel is a very hard material, and when combined with the stainless-steel balls, provides for grinding of hard samples such as minerals, ores, polymers, and circuit boards. Cryogrinding and also be performed with stainless steel jars and balls. These jars are available in 25ml and 50ml volumes with 10mm and 25mm grinding balls.

Tungsten carbide is an exceptionally hard ceramic material. It is useful for grinding materials where the presence of trace metals may be a concern. Applications include preparation of samples for XRF and particle reduction of ores, minerals, metal oxides, and cement clinkers. These jars are extremely durable and offer a long service life. 10mm tungsten carbide grinding balls and 25ml jars are available.

Zirconium oxide is a chemically inert ceramic material. Not as hard as and less expensive than tungsten carbide, it is used for softer samples where trace metals from stainless steel may be a concern. These jars are ideal for grinding biological samples, plants, bones, teeth, soils, and sludges. Jars are offered in a 35ml volume with 15mm zirconium oxide grinding balls.

PTFE is the least hard of the materials used in the jars and is chosen for its inert properties. PTFE jars are metal-free and non-stick. They are highly temperature resistant, expanding their use to cryogrinding. PTFE jars are used for applications in the pharmaceutical field as well as for plants and other biological samples. The 15mm PTFE grinding balls have steel cores for higher energy input. The jars are supplied as a 35ml volume.

Cryogrinding requires jars to be submerged in liquid nitrogen for a period of time. Benchmark’s cryogrinding kit includes an insulated container for the liquid nitrogen, tongs for handling the jars, and gloves and goggles to protect the user.