Equipment that is used to manufacture products in a liquid form or to break down particles to microscopic sizes has evolved over time. Many manufacturers use special wet grinding equipment that uses small beads, also referred to as media, to break down agglomerates. The machinery or mill has a shaft with specially designed discs that are evenly spaced with spacers enclosed in a horizontal chamber.
The chamber is about 85% filled with media, and the size of the media depends on the particles size that you hope to achieve.
How it works is the inner shaft rotates at a high velocity spinning the discs that agitate the media. As the media is moving around in the chamber it forms small tiny spaces for the product to move through. The liquid flows through all the tiny spaces in the particles are broken apart by impact or shearing.
Depending on your application that you are processing will determine the way you choose to set up your wet grinding equipment.
- Pass Mode – Raw materials are fed in to a premix tank and then they are pumped into the mill to be processed. Then it flows from the mill to another tank or a tote. Product can then be run again if the particles size is not achieved the first time.
- Recirculation – materials are fed into a premix tank and them ideally sent to a process tank and then pumped onto a mill to reduce and disperse the particles. Products will continue to circulate until particle size is achieved.
- Cascade Mode – this utilizes two mills or a duplex supermill in order to complete the process. This is used with high volume applications or sensitive processing materials. Raw materials go into the premix tank and then pumped into the first chamber that contains the larger media. Then it flows to the second chamber that is containing the smaller media.
If you want to run a test batch on any of our mixer, horizontal mills, or batch mill, try out our state of the art lab testing facility. It is equipped with machines that cmc manufactures in house and up to date analytical equipment
- Color matching software
- Particle size reduction
- Surface area analysis
- Grind gauge
- Conductivity meters
- Drying oven
- Viscosity analysis
- Total solids/moisture balance
- pH Meters
Wet grinding equipment offers manufactures the chance to increase production and still maintain product quality. If you are looking to expand your production or invest in new equipment for your facility, contact CMC.
