How to select Grinding Media

 

During Attrition Milling the agitator causes intensive random movement of the grinding media.  This movement causes impact and shear between the media which causes the grinding to take place.

 

There are several imporant variables in grinding media:

size & shape material of construction corresponding density and weight

The finer the final particle size required, the smaller the grinding media chosen. On the other hand if the feed particle size is coarse,  the grinding media cannot be too small.  The materials of the grinding media influence the density and power of shear and impact, but also are determined by the process.  For instance water based products may prefer non corroding stainless steel media while solvent or oil based products will do fine with chrome steel media.  Other processes are sensitive to metal impurities from the media entering the product, for instance white or yellow pigments or high tech electronic applications.  In such processes non metallic media are used like the cheaper Alumina or the popular ZrO2 media, yttria or MgO stabilized.

Other applications are better served wiith grinding media similar in content to their process like Tungsten Carbide.

 

With almost 60 years of experience in milling applications Union Process is the right partner to assist you in your selection.