Cage mills: Impact crushing for friable materials
A cage mill crushes friable materials ranging from sticky clay to highly abrasive minerals at a reduction ratio as high as 40:1. This article describes cage mill types, then discusses wear part construction materials and performance factors. The final section explains how to select and maintain a cage mill.
A cage mill, as shown in Figure 1, is an impact crusher that uses sudden, quick impacts to reduce a friable material into small pieces. Compared with jaw, gyratory, and roll crushers, which reduce particles by compression rather than impact, the cage mill offers several advantages.