Ball Mill

Ball mill, a pulverizing machine consisting of a rotating drum which contains pebbles or metal balls as the grinding medium, can grind ores and other materials typically to 20 mesh or finer in a variety of applications, both in open or closed circuits.

How does a ball mill work?

Add balls into the ball drum to approximately 33%. The figure is not fixed, as long as it is within the range of 30%-45%. As the ball mill rotates, the balls 'stick' to the inner surface of the ball drum due to the centrifugal force and are lifted on the rising side. At a certain angle, balls cascade down to the centerline of the ball mill because gravity overcomes the centrifugal force. And the ore is reduced to the required size by impact (balls impacting with the ore) and attrition (ore rubbing against other bits of ore and the milling balls).

Ball mill components

Ball mills consist of the following components:

• Inlet – crushed ore is fed to the ball mill through the inlet.
• Discharge – reduced feed exits the mill through the discharger.
• Drum – the drum is the cylindrical casing of the ball mill. The inside surface of the ball mill drum is fitted with liners (also referred to as armor) that protect the steel shell from abrasion. There are several types of liners like galvanized iron plates, manganese liners, rubber liners, etc. Choose the appropriate liner according to the grinding material, output, budget, etc.
• Ring Gear – a gear ring installed on the outer periphery of the drum.
• Electric Motor – a motor used to rotate the drum. The motor drive train leads to a gearbox than a ring gear. The motor is usually fitted with a variable speed drive (VSD) to control the rpm of the ball mill.
• Gearbox – used for speed reduction from the motor to the ball mill.
• Balls-ball mill balls are also known as ball mill media. There are steel balls, ceramic balls, manganese alloy steel balls, etc. The material depends upon what material the ball mill will grind. The ball size is also of great importance. You need to choose the appropriate ball type, ball size, and ratio of large, medium, and small balls, for higher grinding efficiency.
• Bearings - smaller ball mills use anti-friction cylindrical roller bearings. Larger ball mills use trunnion bearings and hydrostatic bearings.

Ball mill types

According to different standards, there are many types of ball mills.

Based on the discharge methods, there are overflow ball mills, grate discharge ball mills; according to whether water is needed in the processing, there are wet ball mills and dry ball mills; based on the shape of grinding medium, there are ball mills and rod mills; based on the drum length to diameter ratio, there are ball mills and tube mills. A typical ball mill will have a drum length that is 1 or 1.5 times the drum diameter. Ball mills with a drum length to diameter ratio greater than 1.5 are referred to as tube mills.

Ball mill application

Ball mills are usually applied in the comminution stage as grinding machines to reduce the size of the feed. It can be applied in both primary and secondary grinding. In primary grinding, it is fed from crushers such as jaw crushers. If the ball mill is used for secondary grinding, it is fed from other grinders, e. g. rod mills or SAG mills.

Now that we know ball mill is an efficient grinder, what materials can it grind?

A ball mill is a cylindrical device used in grinding materials like ores, alloys, coal, coke, fibers, cement clinker, refractory material, ceramics, limestone, quartz, gypsum, metal oxides, slag, etc. But ball mills cannot be used in the preparation of some pyrotechnic mixtures such as flash powder because of their sensitivity to impact.

Therefore, ball milling machines are widely used in cement, silicate products, new building materials, refractory materials, fertilizers, beneficiation of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, glass, ceramics, mining, and other industries.

Ball mill manufacturer: Fote, your best choice

With more than 40 years of experience in ball mill technology, Fote can manufacture, supply, and export durable and efficient ball mills for a lower cost.

Long life and minimum maintenance

To help you get the most of your business, we have designed our ball mills with long-term operation in mind with a minimum need for maintenance.

Robust design results in long service life and less required maintenance. Therefore, wearable parts of Fote ball mills are made of high-quality raw materials to extend their service life. The shell of the ball mill drums, linear, grinding medium, to name a few.

Efficient operation through automatization

Fote engineers welcome the opportunity to assist you with circuit and circuit control design as well as the start-up, operation, and optimization of the milling plant. Automatic operation saves power, grinding media, and liner wear while increasing capacity.

Effective ball bill grinding technology

The direction of rotation of the screw at the feeding end and the screw at the discharging end are opposite. This design guarantees the even feeding speed and uniform discharging. In addition, the iron remover can be equipped subject to your own needs.

Sufficient parts supply and best service.

The ball mill produced by Fote Machinery can minimize the wear during operation due to the extraordinary casting process and heat-treating technology.

The grinding balls made of high manganese steel characterize good toughness and good manufacture ability with low price.

Ball mill accessories include big gear, pinion, hollow shaft, ring gear, big ring gear, steel ball, compartment board, transmission, bearing, end lining, and so on.

Sufficient supply of each component aims at minimizing equipment repair and replacement time.

Fast delivery speed

Even during the Covid-19, as long as there is trade permission in your country, we will deliver the products as fast as we could.

The following is the fastest shipping method and approximate delivery time according to the actual situation of different countries. (Only some customer countries/regions are listed)

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