MINERAL PROCESSING
MILLING
Introduction
Milling, sometimes also known as fine grinding, pulverising or comminution, is the process of
reducing materials to a powder of fine or very fine size. It is distinct from crushing or granulation,
which involves size reduction to a rock, pebble or grain size. Milling is used to produce a variety of
materials which either have end uses themselves or are raw materials or additives used in the
manufacture of other products.
A wide range of mills has been developed for particular applications. Some types of mills can
be used to grind a large variety of
materials whereas others are used for dykrt6rdeyk 1
certain specific grinding requirements.
This brief aims to present the factors to
consider when choosing particular
grinding applications and to give an
overview of the equipment which is
available.
Material grinding is quite often an
integral part of an industrial process,
whether carried out on a large or small
scale and in some cases the grinding
mill may be the single most costly item
for the production operation. Installing
a grinding mill which is suitable for the
purpose would be one of the main
requirements for cost-effective and
trouble-free material processing if a
grinding stage is involved.
Figure 1: Swing hammer mill being used for lime milling
in Malawi. ©Practical Action.
Abrasives
Animal products
Brewing industry
Chemical
Confectionery
Food processing
Fuel preparation
Metal power
Mineral preparation
Paint preparation
Paper
Pigments for colour industry
Abrasives for grinding
Cement and Limestone
Grain milling
Laboratory milling
Petroleum products
Pharmaceuticals
Plastics
Printing ink
Rubber
Textiles
Sintering
Refractory materials for investment casting
Tungsten power and dry lubricants
Dry powder opacifiers for ceramics industry
Carbon black for rubber
Powders for the detergent industry
Colour coating of polymers for the plastics
industry
Aggregates for the construction industry
Fertilisers
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