In additive manufacturing, ultrasonic sieves have been the default choice for years. They’re marketed as the best way to keep powders moving and prevent screens from blinding. But anyone who’s actually running fine powders like tungsten, titanium or carbon black knows that the results rarely live up to the promise.
At Elcan Industries, we’ve tested hundreds of these powders. Time after time, materials that blind, or simply do not pass through the screen on an ultrasonic machine flow perfectly on the Hi-Sifter. It’s not just a minor improvement; it’s a completely different approach to fine powder separation.
Let’s set the record straight on what ultrasonics can and can’t do, and where the Hi-Sifter stands apart.
Ultrasonic Sieving Machine vs Hi-Sifter Sieving Machine Video Comparison
Myth #1: Ultrasonics are the best way to prevent mesh blinding
Fact: Ultrasonics delay blinding. They don’t stop it.
Ultrasonic sieves send high-frequency energy through the mesh to help fine particles pass through. The issue is that most of that energy never reaches the entire screen surface. As the powder builds up, friction and static take over, and blinding starts again, especially with dense powders like titanium, Inconel, or recovered carbon black.
The Hi-Sifter takes a different route. Instead of pulsing energy through the mesh, it applies a low amplitude, high vertical energy motion across the entire screen area. That keeps the powder suspended and off the screen mesh all together and constantly moving. The result: no buildup, no mesh blinding, and consistent throughput and yields over 98% from start to finish.
Myth #2: Ultrasonics can handle finer cuts
Fact: Most ultrasonic sieves stop being effective below 74 microns.
Ultrasonic energy is high in frequency but weak in force. It’s enough to help free-flowing powders pass a coarse mesh, but it simply doesn’t have the power to separate efficiently below 74 µm. The finer the powder, the worse the performance gets. In some cases, pushing harder can even damage the mesh or reduce efficiency from batch to batch.
The Hi-Sifter routinely screens as fine as 10 µm without balls, sliders or ultrasonics. In some cases during wet sieving of powders, the Hi-Sifter has gone as far as to sieve at sizes such as 5 µm, something that for all other sieves are not even remotely achievable. Most people are under the impression that anything below 32um needs to be Air Classified for efficient separations which is true for most except the Hi-Sifter sieving technology. Elcan pairs it with the Elbow-Jet Air Classifier, capable of classifying down to 0.5 µm using only airflow. Together, they cover the entire micron range, something no ultrasonic system can match.
Myth #3: Ultrasonics are cleaner for metal powders
Fact: Over time, they can become a source of contamination.
Ultrasonic sieves rely on transducers, adhesives, and wires attached directly to the mesh frame. Those parts wear down and release tiny bits of metal or residue that can end up in your product stream. That might not matter for bulk powders, but in additive manufacturing or battery materials, it’s a dealbreaker.
The Hi-Sifter doesn’t use any of those components. No transducers. No rotating parts. No adhesives. The only thing touching your powder is stainless steel. That means no contamination, no mechanical fatigue, and no risk of introducing foreign particles into high-value materials.
Myth #4: Ultrasonics can run any powder
Fact: They struggle with heavy, cohesive, or reactive powders.
Ultrasonic systems work best with light, free-flowing materials. Once you introduce dense or cohesive powders like titanium, tungsten carbide, or rCB, the screens clog almost immediately. A lot of this stems from the particles having the ability to settle on the screen surface which significantly increases the chances of mesh blinding. Operators often respond to this by “cheating the hole” which means they go up in mesh size, sieving at 53 µm instead of 44 µm just to get product through.
That’s a problem. If your powder spec is 44 µm, it should be sieved at 44 µm. Anything larger introduces off-spec particles that can significantly affect downstream powder uses and product integrity, The Hi-Sifter has enough energy to sieve powders exactly at their original specification. That’s how materials are meant to be sieved and not by “cheating the hole” to try to get a false result.
Myth #5: Ultrasonics are faster and more efficient
Fact: Throughput drops quickly under load.
As ultrasonics run, powder buildup absorbs the energy meant for the mesh. Feed rates slow, blinding increases, and operators are forced to stop and clean the screens (that’s if the screen doesn’t rip all together). The Hi-Sifter was built for continuous operation. In production trials, depending on the material the Hi-Sifter can sieve at up to 1300 kgs/hour while keeping full separation efficiency and zero screen mesh blinding. That’s consistent, real-world output, not lab-scale performance and a “60 second test” environment.
Why the Hi-Sifter has been redefining fine powder screening since the early 2000s
The Hi-Sifter isn’t a modified ultrasonic system or a traditional vibratory sieve; it’s a new category of sieving machine. The vertical energy covers the full screen, producing more precise, more uniform separations and higher yields. The system runs without downtime, requires minimal maintenance, and screens can be changed in 15 minutes on the plant floor without having to ship any screens back to be serviced!
Screens can be changed in 15 minutes on the plant floor without having to ship any screens back to be serviced!
Elcan Industries uses the Hi-Sifter daily to process:
- Titanium, Inconel, aluminum, and nickel alloys for additive manufacturing
- Recovered carbon black (rCB) for tire and filler applications
- Ceramics and oxides for coatings and electronics
- Battery materials like graphite, cathode powders, and conductive carbon
No matter the powder, the principle is the same: more energy on the screen equals better efficiency, cleaner output, and fewer problems.
Final Thoughts
The myths around ultrasonic sieving have lingered for years, but in practice, they just don’t hold up. The Hi-Sifter delivers finer cuts, cleaner results, and higher throughput without the use of ultrasonics, balls or sliders!
For manufacturers looking to sieve powders efficiently, or improve consistency across production, the Hi-Sifter isn’t just an upgrade. It’s the new standard for precision powder separation.