Bunting, with European offices/manufacturing plants in the UK at Berkhamsted and Redditch, has acquired UK powder milling and blending specialist Pilamec. Bunting is a global manufacturer of magnet and magnetic products serving a wide range of industrial sectors.

Since becoming a limited company in 1976, Pilamec has acquired a reputation as a leading specialist supplier of materials and size reduction services primarily  to chemical, metal and ceramic industries.  At its Gloucestershire operation, Pilamec processes a wide range of materials including, but not exclusively, a large variety of ferro-alloys, silicon metal, graphite, boron, ferro phosphorus and other metalcategories. The company also supplies a wide range of traded metal powders in both small and large quantities.

Pilamec specialises in providing batch dry milling, screening and blending of organic and inorganic minerals for companies in industries as diverse as mining, refractories, foundries, recycling, and ceramics.  The materials handled range from metals, slags to non-toxic chemicals, with investigation and testing of any type of product, requiring size reduction.

The processing operation includes different types of milling, crushing, blending, screening and bagging.  This has gained Pilamec a reputation of being able to advise suitable solutions to solve difficult problems through their experienced technical team.  Projects have included producing silicon metal powder with extremely low particle size distribution, milling ferro alloys to tightly controlled particle sizing and densities, and processing, to granular/powder form, inorganic materials used in the construction industry.

Within its in-house laboratory testing facility, a laser particle size analyser enables extremely accurate particle size analysis, with distribution graph information for both internal analysis and for sharing with customers.  Additionally, Pilamec’s technical capabilities extend to test sieving by manual means and powder density.

Pilamec works closely with customers on development projects, using a ball mill to size reduce small quantities (20kg) of product.  Such controlled tests provide key information for further development of a bulk processing application.
For the ceramics sector, Pilamec regrinds waste generated during the ceramic manufacturing process to produce sized material for reintroduction into new customer blends thus reducing the amount of waste going to land fill.

“Pilamec is a successful and well respected company with great potential for growth,” explained Simon Ayling, Bunting’s European managing director.  “Through our Berkhamsted operation we already supply magnet materials and the Pilamec acquisition expands our range of materials, processing capabilities and markets.” www.pilamec.co.uk

 

Particle size analyser in the Pilamec test laboratory
 

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