SS Samplers

Before a raw material is used, it is sampled and tested. A sampler is the tool that takes that sample from the drum, bag or container, ideally from more than one depth, so the sample represents the whole contents and not just the top layer. In-process material and finished bulk are sampled the same way.

Powder samplers, often called sampling thieves, are long tubes with slots along their length and a pointed tip. A common design has two tubes, one inside the other: the slots are closed while the sampler is pushed down into the powder, opened by turning the inner tube so powder flows in at each level, then closed again before the sampler is withdrawn. The result is a column of material taken from top to bottom.

Liquid samplers work differently. A dip-type sampler is a cup or cylinder on a long rod that is lowered into the liquid to take a sample from the depth needed; other designs open and close at the bottom so that a column or a single level of liquid can be drawn. Long samplers reach the bottom of drums and tanks.

Because a sampler touches the material, it has to be clean and must not add anything to the sample. It should be made of a corrosion-resistant grade, with smooth, polished surfaces that release the material, and be easy to strip and clean between materials. Many plants keep dedicated samplers for each material to avoid cross-contamination.

Our SS samplers are made in SS 316 in a matt or mirror finish. Powder samplers are made in 1, 2, 3 and 4 ft lengths, and liquid samplers in 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 ft lengths. The range includes slotted sampling rods with a bevelled tip for easy penetration and a T-handle for grip, dip-type liquid samplers with a hook top, and a T-handle liquid sampler with a threaded stem and cylindrical sample cup. Designs and dimensions can be changed on request.