Ball Mill for Zirconium Silicate Grinding: Performance and Application Guide

As an opacifier for ceramic glazes, two key indicators demand core attention: hiding power and whiteness. Among these, hiding power is closely related to the refractive indices of the opacifier and the base glaze, as well as the particle size of ultrafine zirconium silicate powder. Theoretically, the finer the particle size of ultrafine zirconium silicate powder, the larger its specific surface area, the stronger its light scattering capacity, and the higher its hiding power. Additionally, a more uniform particle size and narrower distribution are more conducive to improving the opacification of the glaze. Conversely, excessively coarse particle size can lead to numerous problems in ceramic production: it not only results in insufficient glaze opacification and bottom exposure with a grayish appearance but also causes rough glaze surfaces, rampant pinholes and bubbles, and reduced wear resistance. Simultaneously, it triggers issues such as uneven material dispersion and equipment clogging during production[3]. 

The appropriate particle size of zirconium silicate for ceramics needs to be adjusted based on product positioning. The mainstream range is D50=1.0~3.0μm and D97≤8~10μm; for high-grade ceramics, it can be refined to D50=0.8~2.0μm, while for ordinary ceramics, it can be relaxed to D50=2.0~4.0μm, with the requirement of a uniform particle size distribution[4].
Achieving this critical particle size control relies on efficient grinding equipment and processes. Ball Mills and stirred mills (including high-speed sand mills) are commonly used for zirconium silicate grinding, yet each has its own strengths and weaknesses: Ball mills offer high output and are suitable for large-scale pretreatment, but they suffer from low grinding efficiency, high energy consumption, and wide particle size distribution of finished products. Stirred mills, on the other hand, feature high energy efficiency and uniform product particle size distribution. 

They exhibit high grinding efficiency in the early stage and can quickly refine materials, but the efficiency of ultra-fine grinding slows down in the later stage. Eventually, the crushing effect of the mill tends to balance with the agglomeration of materials, and the overall output is relatively low, making it difficult to adapt to large-scale production[1].
To balance large-scale production and ultra-fine grinding effects, the two-stage grinding process has emerged as an ideal solution. This process achieves complementarity by integrating the core advantages of the two types of equipment. The specific process is as follows: In the first stage, a ball mill is used for pre-grinding large-particle zirconium silicate materials to a preset particle size; in the subsequent stage, a stirred mill performs precise ultra-fine processing, ultimately producing zirconium silicate micro-powder with a particle size of 1 nanometer. 

This segmented grinding method fully utilizes the crushing ratios of different equipment, not only improving grinding efficiency and saving energy (in line with national energy conservation and emission reduction policies) but also enabling large-scale production of products with various required particle sizes according to customer needs, effectively addressing the limitations of single-equipment use.
From the perspective of the development trend of zirconium silicate wet grinding technology, the combined use of "ball mill + stirred mill" not only inherits the core advantages of the two-stage grinding process but also further optimizes the stability and efficiency of ultra-fine grinding. It provides a cost-effective and practical zirconium silicate grinding solution for the ceramic and other industries, and has become an important development direction of wet grinding technology in this field[2].