A ball mill is a type of grinder used to grind materials into extremely fine powder for use in mineral dressing processes, paints, pyrotechnics, ceramics and selective laser sintering (Process of compacting and forming a solid mass of material by heat and or pressure without melting it to the point of liquefaction). The tumbler of a ball mill has dozens of balls usually made of a hard material such as steel or ceramic, this often times wears down the tumbler over long periods of use, and that is where PES Solutions comes in.
Purpose Of The Ball Mill
PES Solutions took a trip during the spring to a ball mill in Texas. This ball mill needed to be resurfaced to extend the life of the machine. This ball mill was used by an electrical power producer plant, and is used to grind limestone rock into a slurry. This slurry is sprayed as a mist into the flue ducts to neutralize gasses before going into the atmosphere via chimney.
Task Overview
Those of us at PES Solutions were given the task of abrasive blasting the steel shell, coat the shell with a flexible, chemical resistant coating (Our PES Epoxy, PES-CHEM 502 CRXF) and reinstall the rubber lining within the mill. All of this was conducted by two of our trained crews, who used the steel balls within the mill as a platform.
Comfortable Working Environments
Once the old rubber was removed from the tumbler, a tarp was brought in to prevent blast media from sifting to the bottom of the mill, making end-job cleanup a breeze. Afterwards, the metal was cleaned with the use of a dehumidifier and a dust collector, the dehumidifier helps with temperature and moisture in the mill.
What Is PES-CHEM 502 CRXF?
PES-CHEM 502 CRXF is a fast curing, high build solvent free coating that was designed for the long term protection of steel and concrete structures against corrosion, abrasion, and chemical attack. Within the following day, the rubber liner in the top half of the mill was reinstalled. The mill liner in question fit like a glove with no trimming or notching, and once all the work was performed on the top half, the machine was rolled and the second half was completed in the same fashion.
Conclusion
Overall, the project was completed by our trained professionals two days early, and also under budget. We enjoy working with our clients to ensure a job well done, and a product that will last a lifetime when applied to your machinery.