Our conical mills are perfectly suited to both wet and dry applications. The versatility of the Uni-Mill means that the same machine can be used to mill wet and dry powders – providing a cost effective solution for many manufacturers.
Dry Milling
Conical mills are most commonly used for the particle size reduction and de-agglomeration of dry materials such as powders, granules and small lumps. It can also be used for milling harder materials such as seeds, sweets and tablets (for reclaim purposes). Various particle sizes and throughput can be achieved on one machine by changing the screen and impeller type – which is a quick and simple process.
Grinding particles to a specified size is necessary to improve formulation dissolution properties in pharmaceutical drugs. By maintaining a consistent average particle size distribution (PSD) for the formulation, a better quality mixture is achieved for creating oral solid dosage forms such as tablets and capsules.
Another common milling application is de-agglomerating and de-lumping bulk materials. Usually bulk powders agglomerate during transport and storage and in most applications, the material will need to be milled prior to subsequent downstream processes (e.g. blending and compression) to improve its flow-ability. Reducing agglomerates into uniform-size powders also improves the quality of the final product.
Wet Milling
For a faster and more consistent drying process downstream, manufacturers may want to reduce the particle size of material. This increases the surface area of the product, enabling it to dry quicker before downstream processes.
Through wet milling, lumpy and uneven powder can be reduced to a uniform particle size. This results in a faster drying time and will also benefit the quality of the finished product. The removal of large particles and lumps also prevents case hardening, an undesirable condition where the mass on the outside of a particle dries faster than the inside and creates a barrier that seals moisture inside the particle.
In wet milling, a mill is typically positioned at the outlet of the high shear granulator. Once milled, material is either vacuumed into a container or the drying equipment. Depending on your exact application, we recommend either a slotted or square hole screen and a square impeller for wet milling.
Because the material is milled earlier in the process, final particle sizing after drying does not need to be as aggressive; this results in a more uniform particle size distribution.
Uni-Mill for Sanitary Size Reduction
The Uni-Mill is a proven success across the pharmaceutical, biotech, nutraceutical, food, cosmetic and chemical manufacturing industries. This includes the various applications demanded by these industries.
Find out more about the Uni-Mill here >>>
Get in Touch
If you would like to speak to one of our experts regarding our range of conical mills or you would like a quote for one of our products, send us a message using our Contact Form or call us on +44 (0)1702 549 777.
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