Home > Use Cases > Using a bead mill to make particle size distribution in the dispersion process sharp

Use CasesUsing a bead mill to make particle size distribution in the dispersion process sharp

Liquid Type	Slurries
Process Type	Dispersion, Granulation
Industry	Ceramics
Problem	Quality improvement Clogging, Locking

Customer

Material manufacturer

To micronize ceramics, dispersion is performed with a bead mill.

The beads were offset in the disperser due to the pump pulsation, leading to excessive dispersion.
Beads were discharged from the bead mill outlet and were bitten by the pump, which sometimes led to emergency stops.
Because high-mix low-volume production is performed, the liquid must be changed frequently, leading to a high frequency of cleaning.

In cooperation with a bead mill manufacturer, we developed a Smoothflow Pump dedicated for use with bead mills.

Because there is no pulsation, the bead offset could be suppressed, which made it possible to obtain sharp particle size distribution.
A special valve seat whose clearance was adjusted to match the bead diameter was used, so emergency stops no longer occur even if beads flow into the pump.
Sanitary specifications were used for the liquid end part of the pump, thereby making this pump easy to clean even during inline cleaning.
Ferrule joints, which enable disassembly without requiring any tools, have been used, making it possible to disassemble and clean the pump in a short length of time.