Comparison of structure and performance between ball mill and Raymond mill

In the field of mineral processing and powder preparation, ball mills and Raymond mills are core crushing equipment, and their structural characteristics and performance differences form complementary application scenarios. This article conducts comparative analysis from three aspects: structure, performance and application field.

1. Structural comparison

The ball mill adopts a horizontal cylindrical barrel structure, with adjustable steel balls or ceramic grinding media inside, and the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the barrel is used to achieve material impact crushing. Its transmission system consists of a motor, a reducer and a large gear, with a simple structure but a large volume. Raymond mill adopts a vertical tower structure, and the core component is a grinding chamber composed of a suspended grinding roller and a fixed grinding ring, which is matched with a classifier and a cyclone separator to form a closed-circuit system. Its transmission device drives the grinding roller to revolve through the central axis, and the grinding roller rotates to produce a rolling effect. In comparison, the Raymond mill has a more compact structure, but more precision components.

2. Performance comparison

The crushing intensity of the ball mill can reach 500-800kW·h/t, and it can process materials with Mohs hardness below 9, and the finished product particle size range is 80-400 mesh, but the energy consumption is high and the noise exceeds 90dB. Its open grinding environment is prone to over-crushing and the particle size distribution is wide. The energy consumption of Raymond mill is reduced by about 30%-50%, the working noise is controlled within 75dB, and the finished product fineness is accurately controlled by the grading system, which can reach 80-600 mesh, and the proportion of fine powder exceeds 90%. However, when processing high-hardness materials, the grinding roller wears significantly, and wear-resistant parts need to be replaced frequently. In terms of automatic control, Raymond mill is equipped with an online monitoring system, which is easier to achieve intelligent adjustment.

3. Application field comparison

Ball mills dominate large-scale coarse grinding fields such as mine beneficiation and cement clinker preparation, and are especially suitable for primary crushing of metal minerals. Its processing capacity can reach 100t/h, which is suitable for both wet and dry processes. Raymond mills are widely used in the deep processing of non-metallic minerals, such as the preparation of ultra-fine powders of materials such as calcite and talc, and are widely used in the building materials and coatings industries. A comparison of a cement company shows that when processing limestone, the power consumption of the ball mill is 28 degrees per ton, while the Raymond mill only needs 18 degrees, but the latter's single machine processing capacity is limited to less than 30t/h. In the preparation of special ceramic raw materials, the particle size control accuracy of the Raymond mill can improve the sintering performance of the product by more than 15%.

Conclusion

The two types of equipment form a gradient match in the field of crushing: the ball mill is suitable for large-scale production of coarse grinding of high-hardness materials, while the Raymond mill specializes in fine crushing and grading integration. Users should make reasonable selections based on the characteristics of raw materials, finished product requirements and production capacity requirements, and adopt a series process to achieve optimal economic benefits when necessary. With the development of intelligent control technology, the two types of equipment still have a lot of room for improvement in energy efficiency optimization and particle size control.