Common Types of Mineral Powder Processing Equipment

There are many types of mineral powder processing equipment, with significant differences in applicable materials, product fineness, energy consumption, and investment cost. Below are five mainstream grinding equipment types, their features, and selection references.

Raymond Mill

Applicable to non-metallic minerals with Mohs hardness below 7 and humidity under 6%, such as limestone, calcite, barite, and talc.
Key Features:

• Modular design integrates crushing, classification, and dust collection, reducing floor space by 30%.
• High grinding efficiency with uniform product fineness, typically adjustable within 80–400 mesh, with a steep particle size distribution curve (D90/D50 ≤ 2.5).
• Full negative pressure operation with low dust emission; pulse dust collection keeps emissions below 20 mg/m³.
  Typical Applications:
  Medium and small-scale mineral powder production lines, especially suitable for medium-fine powder preparation.

Vertical Mill

Widely used for large-scale, continuous production, commonly applied in cement, raw meal, slag, coal powder, and limestone grinding.
Key Features:

• Integrates drying, grinding, classification, and conveying into one system with high integration.
• High grinding efficiency, with 40–50% lower energy consumption compared to traditional ball mills.
• Small footprint, low noise, and high automation.
• Capable of handling materials with certain moisture content, strong process adaptability.
  Typical Applications:
  Ideal for large enterprises requiring high capacity and low energy consumption.

Ball Mill

Primarily used for grinding metallic ores and high-hardness minerals such as iron ore, lithium ore, and copper ore.
Key Features:

• Steel ball-liner impact grinding can process materials with Mohs hardness up to 9 (e.g., corundum, silicon carbide).
• Flexible open/closed-circuit system, covering product fineness from 1–100 μm.
• In wet grinding, slurry concentration can reach 65–75% (e.g., for spodumene purification).
  Limitations:
  High energy consumption and noise; usually requires classification equipment to form a closed circuit.
  Typical Applications:
  Black and non-ferrous metal beneficiation, as well as refractory material production.

Ultrafine Mill

Suitable for high-value-added mineral powder processing, capable of producing ultrafine powders from 325–2500 mesh or finer. Commonly used in deep processing of heavy calcium carbonate, kaolin, and talc powder.
Key Features:

• Achieves high-fineness grinding, some equipment reaching over 2000 mesh.
• No exposed rolling bearings or screws during grinding, ensuring safer operation.
• Long service life of wear parts and lower operating costs.
• Well-suited for fine applications and downstream high-end industry demands.

Jet Mill

Specialized for high-purity, ultrafine powder preparation, used in electronic materials, pharmaceuticals, high-end coatings, and new energy materials.
Key Features:

• No grinding media wear, ensuring extremely high product purity.
• Narrow particle size distribution with regular particle morphology.
• Supersonic airflow (≥500 m/s) achieves d50 = 1–3 μm with narrow distribution.
• Inert gas protection system ensures 99.99% purity (e.g., for cobalt powder production).
• Temperature rise <15°C for heat-sensitive materials.
  Limitations:
  High equipment investment and operating costs; more suitable for high-end applications.

Comprehensive Selection Recommendations

• Non-metallic minerals, medium-fine powder, moderate capacity → Choose Raymond Mill (economic and practical).
• Large-scale, continuous production with emphasis on energy efficiency → Choose Vertical Mill (high system integration).
• High-hardness ores (metallic minerals, etc.) → Choose Ball Mill (stable and reliable).
• Ultrafine powder processing → Choose Ultrafine Mill or Jet Mill, depending on cost and precision requirements.

Epic Powder

Epic Powder, with 20+ years of expertise in the ultrafine powder industry, is dedicated to advancing the future of ultra-fine powder. We specialize in crushing, grinding, classifying, and modification processes, while providing reliable mineral powder processing equipment tailored to your needs. Contact us for a free consultation and customized solutions! Our expert team is committed to delivering high-quality products and services to maximize the value of your powder processing. Epic Powder — Your Trusted Powder Processing Expert!