US Patent 7204164 Apparatus for testing powder properties

The powder analytical apparatus of the invention includes a hopper that is connected to a controllable agitator by a separable link. The hopper has an exit port at its lower end that is at an acute angle to the axis of the hopper. A planar gate is mounted parallel to the exit port of the hopper and is movable incrementally to allow powder to flow out of the hopper into a bin residing on a scale. The controllable agitator is a vibrator device capable of variation of frequency and amplitude. Control of the vibrator, the gate position and input from the scale are by means of a PLC. In a second embodiment, the exit port is formed perpendicular to the axis of the hopper and the gate is conical to emulate the angular flow pattern of the first embodiment.