Made to order
- Installation & training on-site alignment and operator onboarding
- Method + sample run a PSD measurement on your own powder
Microtrac S3500 Laser Diffraction Particle Size Analyzer
Laser diffraction particle size from 0.02 to 2800 µm, wet or dry, in about 10 to 30 seconds — three red lasers, 151 detector segments and Modified Mie for irregular particles.
- Volume, number and area distributions with d10, d50, d90 for metal powders and other materials
- SDC wet, TURBOTRAC dry and MS30 autosampler options; FDA 21 CFR Part 11 data security
- Installation and on-site training included · free test measurement
- Configured to order · lead time from 4 weeks
What your QC lab actually checks
Defensible D-values
Fixed enclosed optics, 151 detector segments and Modified Mie sizing give repeatable D10/D50/D90 that hold across operators and lots — ISO 13320 numbers your QC sign-off can stand behind.
An applications engineer on the line
- S3500 analyzer — three red 780 nm lasers in fixed positions, two fixed detectors with 151 segments, enclosed optical path
- SDC sample delivery controller for wet measurement
- USVR for small liquid volumes, 35–50 ml
- TURBOTRAC dry powder feeder
- MS30 autosampler for up to 30 samples in a row
- FLEX software with FDA 21 CFR Part 11 security features
- Installation and on-site operator training — included in every quotation
What the S3500 is
The S3500 is a laser diffraction particle size analyzer from Microtrac. Three red laser diodes in fixed positions illuminate the dispersed sample, and two fixed detector arrays collect the scattered light from 0.02° to 165°: small particles scatter to large angles, large particles to small angles, and the size distribution is calculated from that pattern. For spherical particles the software uses Mie compensation; for irregular particles, Microtrac’s proprietary Modified Mie calculation. The optical path is enclosed, so the instrument needs little operator intervention, and wet and dry measurement run on the same bench.
Specifications
| Measuring principle | Laser diffraction |
| Measuring range | 0.02 µm – 2.8 mm |
| Lasers | 3 × red 780 nm · 3 mW nominal |
| Detection | 2 fixed detectors, 151 logarithmically spaced segments, 0.02° – 165° |
| Calculation | Mie compensation · Modified Mie for non-spherical particles |
| Data | volume, number and area distributions, percentiles and other summary data |
| Data format | ODBC, encrypted Microsoft Access databases |
| Data integrity | FDA 21 CFR Part 11 security features |
| Measuring time | approx. 10–30 seconds |
| Power | 90–132 VAC or 200–265 VAC, 47–63 Hz · 25 W nominal, 50 W max. |
| Environment | 5–40 °C · max. 90% RH, non-condensing |
| Eductor air supply | max. 100 psi (689 kPa) · min. 5 CFM (8.5 m³/h) at 50 psi · clean, dry, oil-free |
| Vacuum | more than 50 CFM |
| Case | steel and impact-resistant plastic |
| Dimensions (W × H × D) | approx. 560 × 360 × 460 mm (22 × 14 × 18 in) |
| Weight | approx. 27 kg (60 lb) |
| Installation and training | on site, included in every quotation |
| Lead time | from 4 weeks, depending on configuration |
Download: S3500 datasheet (PDF) · Powder coatings application note (PDF)
What it reports on a powder
Laser diffraction is the routine way to put a size distribution on incoming and outgoing powder. Microtrac lists metal powders, battery materials, chemicals and pigments among the S3500’s fields. Each run gives you:
| Distributions | volume, number and area, from one measurement |
| Percentiles | d10, d50, d90 and other summary values for your specification |
| Irregular particles | Modified Mie compensates for non-spherical shape instead of forcing a sphere model |
| False fines | Modified Mie corrects for reflection from spherical particles, which otherwise produces false fines modes |
| Full range | fines and coarse fraction from 0.02 µm to 2.8 mm without changing optics |
FLEX software exports the results automatically to LIMS, LAN systems and programs such as Microsoft Excel.
Wet, dry and unattended
Where the S3500 stops — and what to take instead
Laser diffraction reports the size of an equivalent sphere; it does not measure shape, and Microtrac itself names poor resolution for large particles and limited sensitivity to oversize as its weak points. When sub-micron resolution matters, the BLUEWAVE replaces two of the red lasers with blue ones and measures from 0.01 µm. For size and shape from the same particles, the SYNC adds image analysis to laser diffraction; for shape and sieve-comparable width up to 8 mm, the CAMSIZER X2+. Nanoparticles go to dynamic light scattering on the NANOTRAC WAVE II.
Make your own powder, measure it, print it
We supply ATO ultrasonic atomizers and our own AO Metal LPBF printers. With an S3500 between them, the size distribution of each atomized batch is checked in your own laboratory before the powder goes into the printer: atomize, measure, print, repeat.
In pictures
Availability, payment and delivery
Why buy it through Additive Plus
What usually stops people — and the honest answer
Turning measurements into reports? URIQA, an AI research workspace built by materials scientists, keeps analyzer exports, certificates and papers in one project and drafts reports where every number cites its source.
Ready when you are
| Brand | Microtrac |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Measuring range | 0.02 µm - 2.8 mm |
| Measuring principle | Laser diffraction |
| Lasers | 3x Red 780 nm |
| Laser power | 3 mW nominal |
| Detection system | Two fixed photo-electric detectors with logarithmically spaced segments placed at correct angles for optimal scattered light detection from 0.02 to 165 degrees using 151 detector segments |
| Data | Volume, number and area distributions as well as percentile and other summary data |
| Data format | Stored in ODBC format in encrypted Microsoft Access Databases to ensure compatibility with external statistical software applications |
| Data integrity | Data integrity may be ensured using FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliant security features including password protection, electronic signatures and assignable permissions |
| Measuring time | ~ 10 to 30 seconds |
| Power requirements | AC input: 90 - 132 VAC, 47 - 63 Hz, single phase; 200 to 265 VAC, 47 - 63 Hz, single phase |
| Power consumption | 25 W nominal, 50 W max. (depending on options installed) |
| Temperature | 5° to 40° Celsius (50° to 95° Fahrenheit) |
| Humidity | 90% RH, non- condensing maximum |
| Storage temperature | -10° to 50° Celsius (14° to 122° Fahrenheit) dry only |
| Physical specifications | Case Material: Steel and impact resistant plastic Exterior surfaces are finished with corrosion resistant paint or plating |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 22×14×18in / 560×360×460mm |
| Weight | 60lbs / 27kg |
| Eductor air supply | 100 psi (689 kPa) maximum pressure 5 CFM (8,5 m3/h) at 50 psi (345 kPa) minimum flow rate Free of dry contaminants, moisture and oil |
| Vacuum | Vacuum must exceed 50 CFM |
Product videos
Send us a representative sample. The test measurement in Microtrac's US application lab is free, and we go through the results with you.
Other products teams run alongside Microtrac S3500 Laser Diffraction Particle Size Analyzer
Make your own gold, silver and platinum powder, measure it and print it — the ATO Noble, the Microtrac CAMSIZER X2+ and the AO Metal A100 as one precious-metal cell from one supplier.
- ATO Noble: Au 9 ct to 99.99%, Ag, Pt, Pd, Ir with Zero Loss recovery
- CAMSIZER X2+: size and shape from 0.9 µm to 8 mm in 1–3 minutes
- A100: Ø100 × 100 mm LPBF, optional blue laser for gold and silver
- Installation and training included · 8–14 weeks · 12-month warranty
Made to order
· Lead time 8–14 weeks · installation included
Single-point BET surface area in about 15 minutes — dynamic flow method, from 0.01 m²/g, repeatability within ±1.0 %.
- Pretreatment up to 400 °C at the same time as the measurement
- Touch panel, automatic Dewar, results to USB without manual calculation
- Installation and on-site training included · free test analysis of your sample
- Configured to order · lead time from 4 weeks
Made to order
· Lead time from 4 weeks · installation included
Laser diffraction particle size from 0.01 to 2800 µm, optimized below 1 µm — one red and two blue lasers, wet or dry, in about 10 to 30 seconds.
- Modified Mie for irregular and reflecting particles such as metal powders
- Complies with or exceeds ISO 13320-1; FDA 21 CFR Part 11 data security
- Installation and on-site training included · free test measurement
- Configured to order · lead time from 4 weeks
Made to order
· Lead time from 4 weeks · installation included
Zeta potential and surface charge by streaming potential, with built-in titration — five parameters at every point, particles 0.3 nm to 300 µm, up to 40 % concentration.
- pH, polyelectrolyte and salt titration in 5–15 minutes
- Add a NANOTRAC FLEX probe for particle size in the same sample
- Installation and on-site training included · free test measurement
- Configured to order · lead time from 4 weeks
Made to order
· Lead time from 4 weeks · installation included
Nanoparticle size, zeta potential, molecular weight and concentration in one benchtop DLS instrument — 0.3 nm to 10 µm, ±200 mV, up to 40 % concentration.
- 180° backscatter with Laser Amplified Detection — no fitting model to choose
- pH titration for zeta vs. pH · FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliant
- Installation and on-site training included · free test measurement
- Configured to order · lead time from 4 weeks
Made to order
· Lead time from 4 weeks · installation included
Physical stability of emulsions, suspensions and foams measured on the native sample — up to 1,000× faster than visual observation, 0.0001–95 % v/v, no dilution.
- Sedimentation, creaming, flocculation and coalescence detected and quantified
- One-click Turbiscan Stability Index · room temperature to 60 °C
- Installation and on-site training included · free test analysis of your sample
- Configured to order · lead time from 4 weeks
Made to order
· Lead time from 4 weeks · installation included
Particle size and shape of coarse bulk material measured on the line — 160 µm to 135 mm, 100 images per second, results in the control room.
- 32 morphological parameters including 3D, measured without contact
- Enclosed optics, explosion proof, works with your sample delivery
- Installation and on-site training included · free test measurement
- Configured to order · lead time from 4 weeks
Made to order
· Lead time from 4 weeks · installation included
Size and shape of coarse, dry particles from 160 µm to 135 mm — more than 40 parameters from one run of more than 2 kg, in about one to five minutes.
- 15 size, 13 shape and 3 surface-roughness parameters, plus density, transparency and 3D
- High-speed camera, more than 100 images per second, no contact with the sample
- Installation and on-site training included · free test measurement
- Configured to order · lead time from 4 weeks
Made to order
· Lead time from 4 weeks · installation includedWhat our customers say
“Harry and team were professional, effective communicators as we set up the order, then they executed quickly and produced an amazing product for us at a very competitive price. Am looking forward to our next print w Additive Plus!”
“Great 3D printing service and the resin parts look super smooth and clean. Really happy with how everything turned out!”
“Harry was very professional and helped me out with my 3D printing needs and explained what options I have in terms of filaments such as PEEK. Highly recommended.”
“I needed a 3D enclosure printed urgently in a specific time period, they did great!”
Common questions
Don't see yours? Email [email protected] — NDA on request, typical reply within 4 hours.
What size range does the Microtrac S3500 measure?
What is the difference between the S3500 and the BLUEWAVE?
Does the S3500 measure both wet and dry samples?
How does the S3500 handle non-spherical particles such as metal powder?
Does the S3500 support FDA 21 CFR Part 11?
Can the S3500 be used for metal AM powder?
What lead time and support come with the S3500?
How much does a Microtrac S3500 cost?
Can I test my powder before buying?
Can the S3500 measure powder coatings dry?
Place your order, or talk to an engineer first
Order Microtrac S3500 Laser Diffraction Particle Size Analyzer direct, or talk to materials engineer