What could be a more suitable name for a metallurgical lab than the word Metallurgy itself?
In 2011, the founders of Independent Metallurgical Operations (IMO), Dave Symons and Steve McGhee, established Metallurgy Pty Ltd in Welshpool, (Perth), Australia, out of the need for quality metallurgical testwork and accountability.
A lot has happened since then. The boutique lab has undergone several expansions, most recently in 2021 with the acquisition of a significant portion of SGS Australia's metallurgical equipment, when they closed their metallurgical doors the year prior. Over the years, Metallurgy has been gradually increasing and strengthening its team of Metallurgists and Metallurgical Technicians, resulting in a high Met-Tech ratio as well as a multicultural, diverse, and motivated team of both experienced and young staff.
True to the saying "Cobbler stick to your last", the founders of Metallurgy never lost sight of what is important to them: client focus & understanding, quality testwork, on time delivery, the importance of good staff as the main asset, and safety. Their success speaks for itself.
Metallurgy's range of capabilities:
Metallurgy's bread and butter business is testwork for precious metals, base metals and battery metals. The laboratory has the equipment and ability to carry out the required unit processes to build or optimize your flowsheet.
From sample preparation and comminution testing through beneficiation to hydrometallurgical testing, Metallurgy is well set up to serve your testwork needs.
Sample Preparation / Comminution
The suite of capabilities includes bench and pilot scale crushers and mills of various sizes, as well as industry standard tests including:
- SMC,
- Bond Abrasion Index (BAi),
- Bond Crusher work index (CWi),
- Bond Rod Work Index (RWi),
- Bond Ball Work Index (BWi),
- Levin tests.
Beneficiation
Physical beneficiation testwork capabilities include:
- Gravity Concentration
- Wilfley table,
- Spiral concentrators,
- Jigs,
- Knelson and Falcon concentrators.
- Flotation
- Bench scale flotation cells,
- Bulk flotation cells,
- Pilot flotation cells.
- Magnetic separation
- Davis Tube Recovery testing,
- LIMS,
- WHIMS (SLON and WHIGGIMS),
- Induced rolls,
- Dry belt magnetic separation.
Chemical beneficiation can be carried out using:
- Ambient leaching,
- Elevated temperature leaching,
- Column leaching,
- Solvent extraction,
- Ion exchange,
- Precipitation,
- Electrowinning.
To offer its customers even more, the metallurgical team around Chris Casingena has formed strategic alliances with leading innovators of the industry like Gekko Systems (gold processing and low-energy mining solutions), Maelgwyn (pneumatic flotation technology and applications for high-rate oxidation of sulphides) and Steinert (ore sorting). Customers benefit from expanded capabilities in the form of new technologies and ideas.
MAELGWYN AACHEN REACTOR
Speciality work:
Pay special attention if you like to think outside of the box, are innovative or facing a challenging type of ore, Metallurgy Pty Ltd has got you covered.
After having successfully run several pilot plants for graphite, lithium, gold, base metals, magnetite and rare earths, the team then took on hydro and pyrometallurgical piloting to produce high purity alumina (HPA).
Under the direction of IMO, the team designed, constructed, and operated the pilot plant.
The result - a 99.99% pure product - had until then not been achieved by another lab in the southern hemisphere. Something Metallurgy rightly so takes pride in.
Additional things you need to know
The lab Metallurgy is fully licenced for quarantine, dangerous goods and NORM materials.
Flexibility is one of Metallurgy's strengths. Clients of the well-equipped lab are welcome to hire equipment for their projects or place their speciality equipment into the test centre. In the latter, Metallurgy's specialists will run tailored testwork for the client.
Furthermore, clients of Metallurgy profit from the enormous knowledge pool that the connection to IMO with its two areas "consulting" and "operations" entails. Metallurgists and metallurgical Technicians of Metallurgy have the opportunity to work on site via IMO and apply their knowledge in the real world and vice versa. In addition, regular technical discussions, and knowledge exchange with the Metallurgists of the consulting team of IMO lead to state-of-the-art solutions.
