One of the basic principles of Macawber's dense-phase system design philosophy is the thorough understanding of the material to be conveyed. This information is acquired either from the customer via a survey sheet, or by direct examination of a sample of material.

The results of this analysis will indicate the rate of flow through the pressure vessel filling valves, and the subsequent sizing of such valves. The mode of flow of the material through the conveying line can often be predicted by material characteristic analysis.

Also direct comparison can be made with in-house samples collected from over 600 tests in the company's conveying test facility.