Vibratory Mills by Material

In new material development and electronic component manufacturing, each material presents its own challenges. Vibratory mills are versatile grinding machines that can be customized to appropriate specifications to handle a wide range of materials.

This article provides an overview of vibratory mills used for specific purposes.

Features of Vibratory Mills
for Ceramics

In the production of fine ceramics such as alumina and zirconia, metal contamination and variations in particle size are factors that can reduce quality. Changing the material of the inner drum wall, a material-contact part, is an effective solution.

Vibratory mills for ceramics can eliminate metal contamination by using lining materials such as alumina and zirconia, or resins including urethane. In addition, the strong dispersion capability of vibratory mills helps break up agglomerates that form in the raw powder before sintering.

Features of Vibratory Mills
for Silicon Carbide (SiC)

Silicon carbide, which is in rapidly growing demand for power semiconductors and heat-dissipation materials, has a Mohs hardness of 9 or higher. It is recognized as one of the most typical difficult-to-grind materials in which contamination from wear is unavoidable.

Vibratory mills for silicon carbide are equipped with high-frequency impact and grinding action. They can efficiently create cracks in hard silicon carbide particles and grind them to the submicron range at speeds approximately 10 to 20 times those of rotary mills.

Other Specific Purposes

The recycling grinding of cemented carbide scrap such as tungsten carbide is a typical application in which the characteristics of vibratory mills can be fully utilized. Another strength is the ability to grind fibrous materials such as woody biomass by cutting the fibers with strong impact force.

In addition, there is also an advanced method called mechanochemical processing, which uses vibrational energy to promote chemical reactions and surface modification during grinding.

Summary

This article has outlined the effectiveness of vibratory mills for difficult-to-grind materials such as fine ceramics and silicon carbide. By adjusting the lining material and grinding media according to the challenges presented by the material, vibratory mills can suppress contamination while achieving efficient fine grinding.