Laboratory Research & Small Batch Production
​

Pilot Mills are used for wet milling, fine grinding and dispersing of fluid or paste type viscosities and recommended for product research, development and small batch production. Information developed on the Pilot Mill will help predict production expectations.

Mills operate on a continuous basis or by recirculation milling. Precise control of mill variables including product flow and agitator speed allow the user to mimic production equipment.

Also available is a combination Mini/Pilot Mill. High flow recirculation of a small volume by using a feed funnel located directly over the back chamber reduces the volume required for milling. The Mini/Pilot mill can be converted to the external feed pump for processing larger volumes or higher viscosity dispersions. 


Model Sizes
0.4, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5, & 2.0 Liter Chamber Volumes​

Mills for Special Applications Include Purity and Contamination Free Milling - Special Materials: Ceramics, Plastics & Special Metals Available

(847) 548-0044

Digital Multifunctional Display - Available With Intrinsically Safe Controls & Meter - Suitable for Hazardous Locations

​Standard Electrical Controls With Panel. Optional PLC Controls Shown. Includes Mill, Pump, Operator Controls, & Electrical Panel


Pilot Mills​​

Explosion Proof
​Motors & Controls


Model                                Chamber Volume                          HP                 Minimum batch volume
0.4 
400 ml’s
5 1 liter​
0.75
740 ml’s 
51.5 liters
1.01000 ml’s5 2 liters
1.51500 ml’s
7.52.5 liters
2.02000 ml’s
7.53 liters
All Pilot Mills include mechanical seals with safety switches for operation. 
  • Laboratory samples
  • Small production batches
  • Fluid or viscous products
  • Different feed pump systems available 
  • Single pass, multiple pass or recirculation processing 
  • Agitator – variable speed agitator 
  • Feed pump – variable flow rate 
  • Results scale to production. 
  • Bench top mountable 
  • Monitor process functions 
  • Various materials of construction available
  • PLC Controls available
  • Quick release chamber closures and piping making the mills easy to maintain 


General Operation


  • Dispersions to be processed are metered through the milling chamber and agitated bed of grinding beads using the provided variable rate feed pump. 
  • Agitator rotational speed is variable allowing complete control of the shear and impact forces required for efficient dispersion
  • Product quality is controlled by mill residence time, bead loading and agitator tip speed as well as product formulation.  
  • Single pass processing or recirculation milling can be used to process dispersions.
  • Various grinding media's can be used including glass, ceramics and steel. 
  • Capable of producing sub-micron particles 
  • Information obtained from milling on the Pilot Mill will help to predict production expectations
  • Monitoring of process functions provide data for batch to batch reproducibility. 


Mill Selection 


Different mill sizes available to meet the batch size range required. The model number indicates the chamber void volume in liters and two to four times the chamber volume is a typical minimum batch volume. Larger volumes can be processed on any model with processing time dependent on the required results. Once the batch is completed a suitable solvent can be used to purge and clean the equipment. Quick release chamber closures are used to make the equipment easy to maintain.