The most basic purpose of a grinding mill is to convert raw material into smaller sizes in order to fulfill its purpose in various applications. There are different types of mills and the differences stems on the type of raw material the machine can handle and the method by which grinding is performed. Though there are many types available in the market, the most common ones are disk mills, hammer mills, ball mills and pellet mills.
Unit operation is the term used in the grinding process – it was mostly used by engineers and professionals that find the process a part of a bigger operation. Unit operation means that the specific process is another crucial step in completing an entire operation. Raw materials cannot be used in the purpose that they are wanted to if their form is not desirable or does not meet the requirement. In the case of grinding mills, it converts materials that are needed to be in their smaller form.
The ball mill is one of the most popular types of grinding mill. This equipment is employed when the material needs to be converted in its powder form. One of the components of a ball mill is the cylindrical container it used which makes a rotation action through a horizontal axis. The container is where the raw material is places in order to be grinded into powder along with a grinding medium that is responsible in the grinding action. Though there are different mediums used, the most common are flint pebbles, steel balls and ceramic balls.
Because there are many types of grinding mills, one should be able to identify what type they are looking for by knowing the features and capability of the machine as well as the needed requirements. There are grinding mills that can do wet milling while others are meant for dry milling. Milling can also be categorized by the method the machine uses in grinding – from batch, circulation to continuous. If you need a specific type of grinding media for your raw material then that should be a major consideration in choosing the type of mill to be used. The desired size of the particle should also be specified as some mills may not be able to deliver the required converted material. Grinding is a process wherein some of the attributes or characteristics of a material may be changed that is why it is important to note if you need some attributed to be retained and if the machine can deliver such requirement.