Bühler Updates MicroMedia Wet Grinding Solution

MicroMedia Invicta, Bühler’s latest version of its bead mill, incorporates an innovative process chamber design and a new bead separator system to deliver a 25% increase in efficiency and a 50% uplift in productivity.

In customer trials, Invicta delivered the same high-quality output using 25% less energy compared with the best available alternatives. It also delivers a 50% increase in productivity with a 100% increase in flow rates. And it achieves this enhanced true-grinding and dispersing performance improvement from the same footprint as existing MicroMedia machines.

The key to Invicta’s performance is its new process chamber design. Years of research and development combined with customer experience gathered from thousands of different wet grinding applications around the world has resulted in a smart new chamber geometry.

Invicta now delivers the same MicroMedia high quality, using significantly less energy. And although the chamber is slightly longer than before, it still fits within the same footprint on the factory floor.

A re-modeled bead separation system and a new screen design significantly reduce blockages and pressure build-up. This allows recirculation to be driven faster, speeding up overall flow rates by an average of 100%. As well as helping to achieve target particle size faster, this also creates improved process safety, with greater reliability.

Using all of the best technology developed for MicroMedia and MicroMedia+, Invicta offers customers easy configuration to meet local regulation and tailor wet grinding to the precise needs of each application. It includes an easy-to-use lifting device and fast access to all relevant parts for operation and maintenance, and an operator-friendly integrated control panel with tailored start ramps for intuitive operation.

Invicta has been designed within the existing SuperFlow and MicroMedia framework, giving customers the option to upgrade without having to replace an entire system.

The new machine continues to work seamlessly with Bühler’s MacroMedia pre-dispersing unit to provide a total solution for a wide range of applications, from liquid packaging inks, inkjet and digital inks, to automotive coatings and many more.

“Our revolutionary new process chamber design creates a step-change in performance. Invicta fits in the same footprint as previous MicroMedia models, is available as a retrofit and will integrate with a MacroMedia pre-grinding system in exactly the same way they are used to,” said Christian Ebneter, product manager, Grinding and Dispersing.