Dry grinding: Reducing costs and increasing product quality with an agitated media mill
Agitated media mills have long been used for wet grinding bulk materials to very fine sizes. Today, dry-grinding applications for agitated media mills are growing. After explaining how the mill operates, this article details the mill's dry-grinding applications, benefits, and limitations; typical process layouts; and tips for selecting equipment for your application.
Until recently, dry grinding in an agitated media mill [also called an agitated or stirred ball mill] has been far less common than wet grinding. In fact, not every agitated media mill can be used for dry grinding. Yet many bulk materials are needed in dry form, and removing liquid from wet-ground materials by drying them is costly. An agitated media mill also can dry-grind materials in less time and use less energy than a drum mill or ball mill, the conventional choices for dry-grinding bulk materials to medium fineness.